


My Saviour

by sobeys



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-06 06:58:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 24
Words: 29,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3125261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sobeys/pseuds/sobeys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written before season 3 aired. After her breakup with Ezra, Aria began dating a new guy, Jake, who turns out to be abusive, and Aria can't tell anyone. When Ezra finds out and he saves her from Jake, she thinks she's safe, but Jake brought along many obstacles for Aria and Ezra. Can they get through this and come out strong at the end? Or will they be torn apart from the burden of their issues? Ezria fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before Season 3 aired.

To a stranger, Aria and Jake looked like any other young couple walking into the Rosewood Movie Theatre. If anyone were to see what was under Aria's long-sleeved shirts and the scarves she insisted on wearing in the hottest weather, they would see the skin was purple and blue from the anger of her boyfriend. There were scars and bruises on every unexposed piece of skin on Aria's body, and she couldn't even tell anyone for fear of what Jake would do to her. So, until she could figure out a way to make all the pain stop, Aria was stuck pretending to be happy and in love with her new boyfriend in public, while she cowered in fear and begged for the pain to stop when they were alone.

So here Aria was now, at the Rosewood Movie Theatre, holding hands with her "boyfriend", wishing she had never agreed to go out with him in the first place. More than that, she wished she could take back the biggest mistake she'd ever made, only one months earlier.

Flashback:

"Hey!" Ezra said, standing in front of his girlfriend of over a year. When she stared at him silently, he sat down.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

Aria looked him straight in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that they offered you the job." she asked, quietly. As she watched, Ezra's expression went from concerned, to surprise, to something that seemed to be guilt.

"Because I don't think I'm going to take it...and I didn't think that you should share in the burden of that decision." he responded, looking down.

"You need a job, Ezra." Aria said, emphatically.

"Yeah, but you know what would happen to us if I end up back at Rosewood." he responded, evenly. "Things are different now, people know about us." As he said this last part, Aria's face twisted in a way that meant she was about to cry.

"Hey, don't cry. Don't cry. We're okay." he soothed, placing his hand on her back.

"No we're not. Nothing about us feels right anymore." Aria said, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry." Ezra said.

"It's not your fault." Aria replied.

"I want to fix this." Ezra said, a look of determination on his face.

"I know." Aria said, sadly "I know, but you can't." she said, looking into his eyes. She took his hand. "We've been chasing what we used to have ever since you found out about Malcolm but...I just don't, I don't think we can ever get that back.

Ezra looked down, sadly. "Things aren't easy but, they can still be good." he said, hoping he could convince Aria that they could get through this, just like everything else.

"It shouldn't be this hard." Aria choked out, shaking her head as tears continued to spill down her cheeks.

Ezra paused for a moment, putting his head in his hand. Finally he spoke. "If-If you're not happy anymore...you know that's what matters most to me."

Aria looked into his blue eyes. "Hey, I love you just as much as I always have." she said. "And that's why I want you to take this job."

Ezra knew she was telling the truth. She did love him, and she wanted what was best for him. It was one of the many things he'd admired about her, her need to make everything okay for everyone, even if it hurt her. But that was why he had to make her realize that he wanted nothing but her. She was everything for him. He sat there, thinking of a way to communicate what he felt.

After a moment of silence, Aria got up and started to leave.

"Aria, wait." Ezra said, grabbing her hand. Aria turned around and waited for him to speak.

"I love you." he said, staring into her eyes.

Aria sighed, squeezing his hand before she dropped it and walking away, leaving Ezra alone on the bench.

End Flashback

Aria still thought about Ezra every day after they'd broken up. She still slept clutching his t-shirt, wishing his arms were around her again. She still read the poems he'd written her, the books he'd given her, watched the movies she used to fall asleep in his arms watching. She was a mess, and that had ultimately been what had pushed her to say yes to Jake. She had needed someone to help her forget about Ezra. She figured this was her punishment for trying to forget the man who'd loved her for over a year, given up several jobs because of their relationship, stayed up late to comfort her as she cried in his arms, or on the phone when her parents forbade them from meeting.

Aria was so lost in thought, she didn't notice the person standing in front of her until she bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry!" they said at the same time, and as the figure turned around, Aria gasped as she felt her side throb from the collision and bit back the tears. When she looked up, she was shocked to find herself looking into the familliar blue eyes of Ezra Fitz.

"Aria? Are you okay?" he asked, noticing her pained expression.

Aria felt Jake squeeze her arm so tight it hurt. She nodded, trying to discreetly free her arm while holding back the tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that." she said, smiling.

Aria could tell that Ezra wasn't convinced, but he dropped it. "No, don't worry, that was totally my fault." he said, smiling. "How have you been?"

Aria smiled back. "Pretty good. Just the usual. How about you?"

"Same old." he said. He looked uncomfortably between Aria and Jake.

"Oh sorry!" she said, looking between the two men. "Ezra, this is Jake...my boyfriend. Jake, this is Ezra, my...friend." she said, internally cringing at her own words. She wished the floor would just open up and swallow her now.

"Nice to meet you." Jake said, holding out his hand.

Ezra took it and smiled, though Aria could tell it was forced. They had known each other too long not to know what was going on in the other's mind.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but the movie's going to start." Aria said, not meeting Ezra's eyes.

"Yeah, I better get going too. Bye." Ezra said, and Aria couldn't help but notice the sadness in his voice. She looked up at him and, sure enough he was looking back at her.

"Bye." she said, allowing Jake to lead her away, sparing one last glance at Ezra standing there, watching her.

*PLL*

"Who was that guy?" Jake asked when they were seated in the theatre. Aria could tell he wasn't happy.

"Ezra? I told you, he's a friend." she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Don't you dare lie to me. I saw the way you were looking at him." Jake spoke angrily into her ear.

"H-He's my ex." Aria stammered.

"Your ex that you still like." Jake accused.

Aria looked terrified. She knew what would come next. "Jake-"

"You know what, I think I left something in my car." Jake said, getting up and roughly grabbing her arm. Aria whimpered in pain.

Aria followed him, bracing herself for what was about to happen. Jake led her to the abandoned parking lot and shoved her roughly against his car. Aria cried out in pain as she fell against the car door.

"Get up." Jake said, angrily. Aria remained on the ground, curled up into a ball.

"I said GET UP!" Jake yelled, kicking her as her screams filled the parking lot. She knew it was no use, everybody around was either in the theatre, or too far away to hear her. Jake was a lot of things, but he was smart. He wouldn't hit her where there was a chance of getting caught.

"Please stop!" Aria begged, sobbing.

Jake grabbed her roughly and dragged her to her feet. "Look at me!" he shouted.

Aria looked up at him. The fury in his eyes made her shudder. Her whole body hurt, she could feel new bruises forming on her stomach each time Jake punched her. One particular blow was so hard, Aria couldn't breathe and fell to the floor again.

"Get up!" Jake said, kicking her on the floor.

Aria cried harder and harder when, all of a sudden, the kicking stopped. Aria waited, counted to 10 in her head, but they still didn't come. Finally, Aria mustered up the courage to look up and, when she did, she almost fainted in relief.

She saw strong arms holding Jake back. Arms that, not too long ago, had held her in a much gentler way. As Aria watched, her savior turned Jake around and punched him in the face. Aria could see blood squirting from his nose as Jake fell to the ground.

"Ezra." she whispered barely loud enough for her own ears to was just so weak, it hurt to breathe. She continued to watch as Ezra fended Jake off, easily dodging his punches and kicks and responding with a few of his own. After a blow to the stomach that sent Jake back to the ground Ezra stood over him, watching him try to get up.

"If you dare come anywhere near Aria again, you'll be sorry." he threatened. "Now get out of here and don't let me see you again."

Jake quickly rose to his feet and limped to his car. He was gone in under a minute.

Ezra knelt down in front of Aria, who was whimpering quietly."Shh, I'm here now and I won't let anybody hurt you ever again." Ezra promised as he lifted her into his arms and carried her towards his car.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Ezra kissed her forehead in response and, for the first time in two months, Aria knew that everything would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

"No!" Aria shrieked, staring at the needle wide-eyed. "Absolutely not!"  
"Aria, don't worry, you'll barely feel it." Dr. Kingston said.  
"No way!" Aria shrieked, backing up against the wall.  
Ezra took her hand. "Aria, honey it'll be over before you know it. You know I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, but if the doctor doesn't put the needle in, your injuries will get infected and it'll hurt a lot worse." he said gently.  
Aria looked between Ezra and the needle hesitantly for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay." she said quietly, closing her eyes. She kept hold of Ezra's hand, squeezing it so hard her knuckles turned white, but Ezra didn't say a word, instead just rubbing her back until the doctor took the needle out.  
"You can open your eyes now." Ezra said, and Aria opened her eyes.  
"Can we go home now?" she asked.  
Ezra looked at the doctor, who shook his head. "Not before an x-ray. We think you may have a broken rib."  
Aria sighed, looking pleadingly at Ezra, who squeezed her arm lightly. "We need to make sure you're okay." he said gently.  
Aria sighed again and started to get up, a sharp pain running through her body. She sat back down, tears falling down her cheeks.  
"Shh, it's okay." Ezra soothed. "Where does it hurt?"  
"Everywhere." Aria sobbed.  
Ezra wiped her tears with the pad of his thumbs. "Here, put your arm around my shoulder, I'll carry you." he said. Aria obeyed, and felt Ezra's arms around her body as he picked her up ever so gently and followed the doctor to the x-ray room. He gently put Aria down in front of a changeroom where she slowly limped inside and emerged a few moments later in a hospital gown, tears streaming down her face.  
"Ezra, it hurts so much." she said, leaning into his chest.  
"I know, and if I ever see that idiot again, I'll do more than just punch him. He's going to regret ever laying eyes on you." Ezra promised, stroking her hair until she was calm again.  
"Thank you for saving me." she said, still sobbing.  
"I would do it again in a heartbeat." Ezra promised. "Come on, let's go do that X-ray and go home."  
Ezra carried Aria to the X-ray room and, when she was done, the doctor checked the results and said that her rib was not broken, just sprained. It would heal over time and she was free to go after he gave her a prescription for some extra-strength painkillers.  
"Thank you." Ezra said, as he helped Aria on their way out. Ezra helped Aria into the car and went back to get her prescription before they left. Aria stared out the window the entire drive home, and did not speak until they were at Ezra's apartment.  
"I missed this place." she said, smiling faintly as she recalled all the memories they'd had here.  
"It was never the same without you here." Ezra said, carrying a steaming mug of coffee and handing it to her.  
"Ezra, I don't know how to thank-" Aria started but Ezra cut her off.  
"Aria, you don't have to thank me." Ezra said.  
"But you saved my life. Even after I broke up with you." Aria said.  
"Just because we're not together doesn't mean I don't love you." Ezra responded.  
Aria looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I should have stood by you when things got hard with Malcolm, and instead I just ran away. You would never have done that to me." she said, looking down in shame.  
"Aria." Ezra said, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. "What you did was completely reasonable and you shouldn't be mad at yourself for it. It was just too hard for you and I understand that. I don't hold it against you, I swear." he said seriously.  
"That's what makes it worse. You're always okay with whatever I do, no matter what happens to you because of it. Ezra, when I started dating Jake, it was because I couldn't stop thinking about you and it drove me insane. Every time I was out with him, I was thinking of you. I even called him Ezra a few times...which didn't exactly make him happy." Aria shuddered at the memories of Jake hitting her when she'd called him Ezra. She remember the pain, the fear, the tears, everything so vividly.  
"Hey, it's okay. He's not going to hurt you ever again." Ezra assured her, pulling her against him, which made her shriek in pain. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"  
"It's okay, I'm fine." Aria said, biting back her tears. She hated crying so much, and she seemed to be doing a lot of it lately, but everything just hurt so damn much! She silently cursed Jake for putting her in this much pain, and rage boiled inside of her. She couldn't stand being weak and helpless. It was the worst possible thing for her.  
"Can I..." Ezra hesitated. "Can I see it?" he asked.  
Aria nodded and gently lifted her shirt halfway so he could look at her exposed stomach. The skin was almost completely bruised and there was a large cut that the doctor had put stitches into. Aria winced as she thought of herself lying helplessly in the parking lot.  
Ezra looked at her, reading her mind the way he always did. "Don't worry, I'll make ure he doesn't hurt you ever again." he said.  
Aria smiled gratefully. She always felt safe when Ezra was around, even before the events from earlier that night. "Is it...Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? I really don't want to go home like this and I needed some time to think of how I'm going to tell my friends and family about Jake."  
Ezra smiled. "You're always welcome here, don't forget that." he said. "Do you want to borrow something to wear?" he asked.  
Aria nodded. "Yes please."  
Ezra handed her a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that went down to her shins. "Do you need some help getting to the bathroom?" he asked, holding his arms out, which Aria gladly took, pulling herself slowly up. She shook her head.  
"I need to get used to walking around like this. I can't make you to carry me everywhere. I can just imagine going around school like that." she said, a smile playing across her lips.  
"Okay, just yell if you need me." Ezra said, smiling.  
"Okay. Ezra?"  
Ezra looked up from where he was placing a blanket a pillow on the couch. "Yeah?"  
"Thank you." Aria smiled gratefully.  
Ezra smiled as Aria walked slowly to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back out in Ezra's clothes, and he couldn't help but think back to all the times Aria had worn that same shirt, her head on his chest as she slept peacefully. Ezra used to stay awake, listening to her quiet snores, feeling her heart beating rhythmically in her chest as she leaned against him, his arms wrapped around her.  
"Earth to Ezra?" Aria said, smiling as Ezra broke out of his thought. "What are you thinking?" she asked.  
Ezra blushed slightly. "Um, nothing, I was just thinking back to how you always used to wear that t-shirt when you stayed over..." he said.  
This time it was Aria's turn to blush. "Oh." was all she said, before slowly getting into his bed, trying to be as careful as possible.  
"You okay?" he asked.  
"Yeah, I'm good." Aria mumbled, laying down and pulling the blanket up to cover her bruised body. "Goodnight, Ezra."  
"Goodnight Aria." Ezra said, laying on the couch and closing his eyes. Within minutes, Aria drifted off to sleep and Ezra chuckled as he heard her quiet snores again in what seemed like forever. He was smiling as he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"NO! PLEASE JAKE! PLEASE STOP, IT HURTS! NO!" Aria screamed in her sleep, tossing and turning, sobbing.

Ezra immediately woke up and ran to her side."Aria, wake up. It's just a dream, you're okay." he said, shaking her awake. Her eyes opened and she started sobbing really hard so Ezra instinctively pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair, rubbing her back.

"It's okay. Jake's gone and he's not coming back. I'm here now." he whispered against her hair, soothingly.

Aria continued to cry, her arms tightly holding him against her, as if letting go of him would cause him to disappear.

"Shh, you're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." Ezra whispered.

They stayed this way for at least an hour, Aria crying against Ezra's chest and Ezra whispering soothing words to her. Finally, Aria's sobs were reduced to quiet sniffles and she reluctantly let go of Ezra.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize. I'm here for you." Ezra said, tilting her chin up so she was looking at him.

Aria smiled and then started crying again.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, feeling confused and guilty at the same time, wondering what he'd said wrong.

Aria shook her head. "You're so good to me, and I dumped you. How can you even stand the sight of me anymore? Why don't you hate me?" she said, sobbing.

Ezra was astonished. "Hate you? I could never hate you!The only person I hate is myself, for asking too much of you."

Aria shook her head again. "This isn't your fault, it's mine. We're in this mess because I wasn't brave enough to fight for us."

Ezra looked into her eyes. "Aria, you can't seriously blame yourself for this. It's not your fault, this is a lot to deal with. And, although we both no that you're really mature, you're still 17, and that's not something most 17-year-olds have to deal with."

"Being 17 doesn't make up for the fact that I left the man I love because things were too hard. I'm the one whose always saying love is worth fighting for. God, I should be crowned the biggest hypocrite to ever walk the Earth." Aria said, putting her head in her hands.

"Aria, stop beating yourself up for this. We all have a limit to how much we can handle." Ezra said, taking her hands. "I don't blame you for what you did."

"That's because you never blame me for anything. You always find some way to make everything your fault! I could commit murder and you would blame yourself for not knowing that I was a psychopath!" Aria shouted.

Ezra was surprised at her outburst but he decided now was probably not the best time to argue with her. After all, it was 4 a.m. and Aria had been through a lot the night before. "You know what? We're both exhausted and clearly not in our right minds so let's just go back to sleep and talk about this later."

"Fine. Whatever." Aria said, wincing as she lay back down.

Ezra turned the lights off and got up. He was feeling his way back to the couch when Aria spoke.

"Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that." Aria said, and Ezra could hear the remorse in her voice.

"Don't worry about it. You've been through a lot." Ezra replied.

Aria was silent for a moment. "Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you...do you think you could, um, sleep in bed with me?" Aria asked, sounding very uncomfortable. "I just, I really don't want to have any nightmares and...you make me feel safe."

Ezra hesitated for a moment before replying. "Sure, I guess." he said, walking back to the bed and climbing in next to Aria.

Aria scooted closer to him and cuddled into his chest. After a moment of hesitation, Ezra wrapped his arms around her little body, careful not to hurt her.

"Thank you." she said into his chest.

"No problem."

As they lay there, Ezra couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as he thought back to all the other times they'd been like this, just lying in his bed, inhaling the scent of Aria's strawberry shampoo, feeling her body curled up against his, hearing her gentles snores as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. He wanted more than anything to go back to that but he didn't want to pressure Aria into something he wasn't 100% sure she wanted. He was happy that he still made her feel safe though. He wanted her to know that he would always protect her, no matter what.

"Ezra?"

Ezra came out of his thoughts, startled. He thought Aria had fallen asleep. "Yeah?"

"Will you come with me tomorrow when I tell my parents about Jake?" Aria asked.

"If you want me to, then of course." Ezra responded.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Aria said.

"Of course." he replied. When he said that, Ezra could feel some of the tension leave Aria's body.

They lay there silently for a while. Then, when Aria was sure Ezra was asleep, she quietly mumbled. "I love you." before letting his rhythmic breathes lull her to a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you ready?" Ezra asked, unbuckling his seatbelt. They were sitting in Ezra's car, outside the Montgomery's house.

Aria nodded uncertainly. "The girls are already inside waiting for me." she said.

Ezra got out of the car and came around, opening Aria's door for her and helping her out of the car. Aria was still in a lot of pain but she tried not to show it, insisting that she do things on her own, like get out of bed on her own, or even make her own breakfast. Ezra tried to let her do these things, doing little things to help, like toasting the bread or handing her a plate, but after Aria had tripped on her way to the bathroom, Ezra had drawn a line. So now, she didn't argue when he insisted that she put her arm around his shoulder and let him support her up the front steps to her house.

A few seconds after Ezra rang the doorbell, the door opened to reveal a very worried Ella.

"Aria! Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" she cried, barely noticing Ezra and she hugged her daughter, causing Aria to scream as her ribs were squeezed. Ella moved away as if Aria was on fire and Aria started sobbing.

"Aria? What's wrong?" her mother asked, as Byron and Mike ran to the door, Emily, Spencer and Hanna right behind them.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked.

"Ezra?" Byron said, confused and angry. "What did you do to her?"

"Guys, let them inside at least!' Hanna said, pushing everyone out of the way so they could enter. Aria was still sobbing hard so Ezra just picked her up and carried her inside, placing her gently on the couch, and sitting next to her, holding her against him. Everyone followed them into the den, looking confused and worried.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked again.

Ezra looked down at Aria, who was starting to calm down. She lifted her head from Ezra's chest and looked up at her friends and family, taking a deep breath.

"I have something I need to tell you guys." she said, looking at them. They waited expectantly for her to continue and Aria looked up at Ezra, who nodded encouragingly.

"Jake..." Aria hesitated then took Ezra's hand. "Jake wasn't who you thought he was." she said, staring at the floor.

"What do you mean?" Byron prompted. He had like Jake, mostly because he wasn't Ezra.

Aria stood up with Ezra's help. She lifted her shirt halfway, exposing her bruised stomach and the stitches from when Jake had kicked her. "He-He abused me." she said, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Everyone gasped when they saw her exposed stomach.

"Oh, my baby!" Ella cried, getting up and gently wrapping her arms around her daughter.

Emily, Spencer and Hanna all got up and hugged Aria as well.

"Next time I see him, I'm going to beat the shit out of him!" Mike said angrily.

Aria smiled through her tears. "Ezra already did." she said.

Everyone looked at Ezra, questioningly. He fidgeted, uncomfortable with all the eyes focused on him.

"Jake was hitting me and Ezra came and beat him up. He saved my life." Aria said, dislodging herself from the group hug and leaning into Ezra.

Ella went and stood in front of Ezra, Byron coming to stand right next to her.

"Thank you for protecting our baby girl." Byron said. "I guess I was wrong about you."

Ezra felt embarrassed for all the attention. "Don't worry about it." he said.

Mike came over too. "Sorry for punching you." he said, embarrassed.

Ezra laughed. "Don't worry, Aria already explained that." he said, smiling.

Mike smiled back, but then became serious. "Aria...I think you should know that Jake came here today, looking for you." he said.

Ezra could feel Aria tense beside him and he squeezed her hand, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I won't let him hurt you."

Aria nodded slightly and held his hand tighter. "What did he say?" she asked, look at Mike.

"He seemed tense and when I asked him about it he said you'd called him and said you weren't feeling well, so he wanted to check up on you." Mike replied.

"I can't believe I let that bastard into our house!" Byron shouted. "If I ever see him again..." he trailed off.

"Honey, how long has this been going on?" Ella asked.

Aria hesitated before replying. "A few weeks."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hanna asked.

"I-I was scared." Aria whimpered.

"It's okay, you told us now and we're going to make sure you stay safe." Emily said reassuringly.

"Did you at least see a doctor?" Ella asked, examining Aria's bruised arms.

Aria nodded. "Ezra took me to the hospital last night. And I went once last week because arm was really hurting. Ow!" Aria said, wincing when her mom accidentally brushed a sore spot on her arm.

"Sorry." Ella said, guilt all over her face. "I'm going to get some ice, it'll help with the swelling around your elbow." she said, getting up and going into the kitchen.

"Can we sit down?" Aria asked Ezra, who gently helped her sit back down. "Thanks."

"No problem. Do you want to lie down instead? I can sit somewhere else." he said.

Aria shook her head. "I'm fine." she said.

Ella came back with the ice and handed it to Ezra, who gently rubbed it on Aria's elbow. Aria leaned forward and whispered something in his ear and Ezra nodded. Aria turned to her parents.

"Mom? Dad? Um...is it okay if I stay with Ezra? I don't feel safe knowing that Jake knows where I live. And he knows where the girls live too, he's picked me up from their houses." Aria said.

Byron and Ella looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation. Finally, Byron spoke up.

"I guess...but only if you both behave." Byron said.

"Dad, we're not...we're just..." Aria wasn't sure what exactly they were. She settled for "friends."

Aria couldn't help but notice the skeptical looks from her friends and her family but they didn't say anything.

"Do you want me to pack you a bag?" Ella asked.

Aria nodded. "Yes please."

Ella went upstairs, and Aria asked if she could have a little while with her friends. The men left, talking about some car stuff.

The girls all gathered around the couch, trying not to stare at the cuts and bruises on Aria's body.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you guys." Aria said, tears in her eyes.

"We understand, really." Emily said, putting a hand on her petite friend's shoulder.

"Just remember, we'll always be for you" Spencer said.

"Yeah, and we'll make sure that jerk stays the hell away from you." Hanna said.

Aria smiled. "I love you guys."

"We love you too." Emily said, and the girls all leaned in for a group hug, careful not to hurt Aria.

"So what's the deal with you and Fitz?" Hanna asked, ignoring the looks that Emily and Spencer gave her.

Aria sighed. "I honestly don't know. It's all so confusing. I mean, I love him, and he loves me, but we haven't really talked about whether we're getting back together or not."

"You guys will figure it out, you always do." Spencer assured her.

I guess...but it's just really awkward sometimes. We just don't really know how to act around each other." Aria said sadly. "I just, I really wish we could go back to the way things were before."

"Hey, you'll get through this, just like everything else." Emily assured her.

Aria smiled as Ella came back downstairs carrying a small duffel bag with Aria's things. She placed the bag down.

"Sweetie, promise me you'll talk to me if you ever need to. Don't ever hesitate to tell me anything, no matter what." Ella said, stroking her daughter's hair.

Aria nodded. "I promise." she said, leaning her head on her mom's shoulder. After a moment, she yawned.

"Do you want me to get Ezra so you can go and get some rest?" Ella asked.

Aria nodded. "Yes please. I barely slept last night. We left the hospital at like 2:00 and I couldn't sleep."

Ella looked at her daughter sympathetically, rubbing her back before getting up to get Ezra. Aria said goodbye to her friends as she waited for Ezra to come. When he came, he grabbed her back and went to put it in the car while Aria said goodbye to her parents and Mike.

When she hugged Mike, he assured her he'd "beat Jake's ass if he ever came to the house."

Aria smiled and said. "He's not worth it, but thanks." and ruffled her little brother's hair before Ezra came back and helped her to the car.

They were driving towards Ezra's house when suddenly Aria gasped.

Ezra looked between her and the road, waiting for a red light to turn green. "What's wrong?"

Aria's face was pale and her hands were shaking. "Jake."

Ezra placed his hand on her leg and squeezed it comfortingly. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't find you."

"No, Jake." Aria said, looking behind her.

Ezra looked in his rearview mirror and saw the blonde boy sitting in a car right behind them, staring right at Aria, his face angry and determined.


	5. Chapter 5

Previously:

Aria's face was pale and her hands were shaking. "Jake."

Ezra placed his hand on her leg and squeezed it comfortingly. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't find you."

"No, Jake." Aria said, looking behind her.

Ezra looked in his rearview mirror and saw the blonde boy sitting in a car right behind them, staring right at Aria, his face angry and determined.

Chapter 5:

Ezra put his hand on Aria's leg. "Aria, look at me."

Aria tore her eyes away from Jake and looked into Ezra's eyes, her expression showing her terror.

"Listen to me. I won't let him hurt you. I'll make sure you're okay." Ezra said, as the light turned green and he made a few turns before pulling over in a secluded area. Jake's car was right behind his, and he pulled over as well.

"Ezra, what are you-" Aria said, reaching for his hand to stop him from taking off his seatbelt.

Ezra pulled his hand away, undoing his seat belt and opening his car door. "Stay here and keep the doors locked until I'm back."

"Ezra, wait-" Aria said as Ezra shut his car door, walking towards Jake who was approaching their car.

Ezra's POV:

"I thought I told you to leave her alone." Ezra said, getting in Jake's face.

Jake stood his ground. "What are you, her bodyguard?"

"No, I'm her boyfriend, something you're not." Ezra shot back.

Jake threw a punch at Ezra, who blocked it easily. For once, he was grateful to his mother, who had enrolled him and Wesley in karate classes as kids.

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Ezra said, twisting Jake's fist. Jake tried to free his hand but Ezra held on tight, squeezing it until Jake cried out in pain.

"Had enough yet?" Ezra asked, not showing any sign of letting go soon.

Jake's face was red with anger. He stomped on Ezra's foot, hard, catching Ezra by surprise. Ezra cried out and Jake punched him in the stomach, making Ezra fall to his knees.

"Ezra!" he heard from behind him and he turned his head to see Aria, racing out of the car and racing towards him.

"Aria, no-" Ezra called out weakly but Aria didn't even slow down. In a moment she was by Ezra's side, leaning over him. "Are you okay?"

"Go back to the car." he said weakly.

"I'm not leaving you like this." Aria said firmly.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Ezra watched as Aria's face went pale and she closed her eyes for a second before lifting her head and looking up at Jake, who was stepping closer to her.

"Leave us alone, Jake." Aria said, her voice shaking slightly.

Jake laughed. "And if I don't?" he challenged.

"I-I'll..." Aria started, stepping backwards slowly.

"You'll what? Call the police? We both know that won't do any good." Jake sneered. "You know that they won't do anything to me, and if they try, my dad will take care of it. There's perks to being the mayor's son."

Aria looked at him, barely able to hide her fear. "Jake, p-please leave us alone." she said quietly.

Jake just laughed. "Who's going to make me?" he asked. He seized her arm and squeezed, smiling cruelly when he saw Aria wince in pain as her bruised arm throbbed. "You idiot boyfriend? Didn't take you very long to move on, you slut. Your just-"

Nobody found out just what Jake thought Aria was as, at that moment, Ezra's fist came out of nowhere and made contact with Jake's cheek. Jake stumbled, holding his cheek and Ezra punched him again. This time Jake fell to the ground.

"If you dare touch Aria EVER again..." Ezra said. "you'll regret it." he finished, spitting on Jake before going to Aria's side and guiding her to the car. When they were seated inside, Ezra gently lifted Aria's sleeve so he could examine the spot where Jake had grabbed her. It was a little red around her bruises but otherwise fine. "You should have stayed in the car." he sighed.

"I couldn't watch him hurt you." Aria said, looking up at him.

"Don't worry about me, what's important is that I know you're safe." Ezra stressed.

"Ezra, I would never be able to live with myself if you got hurt because of me." Aria said, tears forming in her eyes as she gently caressed his cheek.

"I'm fine, really. He didn't hit me that hard, he just caught me by surprise." Ezra said, noticing Aria repeatedly eyeing his stomach.

"Are you sure?" Aria asked, lifting his shirt a bit to see that there was a red patch along his stomach. "That looks like it hurt." she said, gingerly touching it.

"No, it's fine, really. I can barely feel it." Ezra assured her as he started the car. "Besides, as long as you're fine, I'm fine." he said, squeezing her leg as they headed towards his apartment.

*PLL*

"Aria? Aria?" Ezra said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hmm?" Aria said, breaking out of her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Ezra asked.

Aria looked uncomfortable. "Nothing."

"You know you can talk to me about anything." Ezra said.

Aria sighed. "Okay, fine. I just...I'm confused." she said.

"Confused? About what?" Ezra asked, turning to look at her.

"Us. I mean, what exactly are we? Are we together? Are we good friends? I feel like I don't know how to act half the time and it's...weird." Aria said, looking at the ground.

Ezra pondered this for a moment. The truth was, he was just as confused about this as Aria. "That's a good question...I honestly don't know. What do you want us to be?" he asked.

Aria was quiet for a moment, but then she looked up into his deep blue eyes. "I want to be with you." she said, quietly. "But only if you feel the same way."

Ezra cupped her face in his hands. "Of course I do. That's all I've ever wanted." he said, leaning forward to kiss her softly. Aria smiled against his lips, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Little did she know that her life, which was already very complicated, was about to get a lot worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that's read this story and/or left kudos or a coment. Your support means a lot and it really motivates me to write more so thanks :)


	6. Chapter 6

Is there even a real way to tell someone something like this? How is he going to react? What if he kicks me out? These were some of the many thoughts swirling through Aria's head as she waited for Ezra to come home from work. She had made a discovery that morning that was sure to make her already messed up life seem like a walk in the park. And the longer she waited for Ezra to come home so she could tell him, the more miserable she became.

When Ezra finally came home, he took one look at Aria's tear-stained face and ran over to her. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" he asked, frantically looking her over to see if she was okay.

Aria shook her head and continued to cry.

"Did you hear from Jake?" Ezra asked.

Aria shook her head again, but she started to cry even harder at the mention of Jake.

Ezra sat down next to her and Aria immediately buried her face in his chest, sobbing hard. Ezra stroked her hair, confused and worried. "What's wrong sweetie?"

Aria tried to speak through her sobs. "J-J-Jake!" she wailed.

"Did you see him? Did he call you?" Ezra asked, worried.

Aria shook her head again. She stood up and started walking in the direction of the bathroom. Ezra followed right behind her, wondering what was going on. Aria entered the bathroom and went straight to the garbage basket, pulling something out of it. A pregnancy test. Ezra looked at it, already knowing what he would see. Sure enough, when Ezra looked, he saw a plus sign.

"It's...Jake's?" he asked without any emotion, staring at Aria.

Aria nodded slowly. "Ezra, you don't understand..." she started but Ezra walked out of the bathroom, not waiting for her to finish.

"Ezra, wait. It's not what you think!" Aria said desperately, following him into the main room. When Ezra didn't slow down, Aria grabbed his arm and forcefully turned him around to face her.

"You had sex with him." he said simply. "You say you love me but we broke up a month ago and u already had sex with another person."

"Ezra, no. I didn't-" Aria started again but Ezra cut her off once more.

"You didn't what? You didn't have sex with him? Then how is his baby growing inside of you right now?" Ezra asked angrily, pointing to Aria's stomach.

Aria burst into tears. "HE FORCED ME!" she cried. "H-He would make me take my clothes off and he..." Aria couldn't even finish her sentence. She fell to the floor, crying so hard that it hurt. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, with her head buried into them.

Ezra immediately felt awful for just assuming that she would do something like this, especially with someone like Jake. He crouched down on the floor and gently lifted Aria's head. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I should have realized that you wouldn't do something like that." he said, honestly.

Aria nodded slightly. "It's okay. It isn't exactly easy for you to find out something like this." she said.

"Yeah, but that's no excuse. I know what kind of a person Jake is and I know what kind of a person you are. I shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions like that. Besides, however hard this is for me to deal with, it must be at least 10 times harder for you." Ezra said, pulling Aria onto his lap and rocking her back and forth gently. He knew that this always soothed her when she was upset.

Aria leaned her head against his strong body. "I'm just so confused. On the one hand, I feel like I should get an abortion because this baby was not made from love and, living with Jake's child will only remind me of what he did to me every time I look at it. But on the other hand, the thought of killing an innocent baby makes me sick. What should I do?" she wailed, burying her head into Ezra's neck.

Ezra stroked her hair, holding her against him. "Shh. We'll figure this out, together. No matter what you choose, I'll stick by you." he said into her hair, occasionally kissing her head.

"Th-Thank you." Aria sobbed.

"Shh. Don't cry. We can get through this, just like everything else." Ezra said, pulling back to wipe the tears from Aria's face. He kissed her forehead and she smiled slightly before putting her head back on Ezra's shoulder. He continued to rock her back and forth, calming her. Soon enough she was asleep.

As Ezra gently tucked her into bed, careful not to wake her, he couldn't help but feel bad for Aria. She always had so many problems to deal with, and, it was times like this when you could really tell how exhausting they were. She would always get really stressed or panicked, freaking out until she had worn herself out and she would fall asleep, most often in Ezra's arms. As he watched her sleep, Ezra noticed how peaceful she looked. If it weren't for the many bruises on her body, from the outside nobody would be able to guess how broken Aria really was. She always put up a brave front for everyone, only allowing herself to really show her true emotions to Ezra and, sometimes, he friends.

Out of the many things you could say about her, there was one thing that nobody could ever deny. Aria Montgomery was one of the strongest women alive.


	7. Chapter 7

Ezra was just pulling out of the Hollis parking lot when he received a phone call from Aria.

"Hey babe." Ezra said.

"Hey, when are you coming home?" Aria asked. Ezra could sense something off in her voice.

"I'm just leaving Hollis, I'll be home in 15 minutes. Are you okay?" he asked.

"We need to talk." she replied. "I'm at Spencer's, can you pick me up?"

"Okay, I'll be there soon." Ezra replied, worried. He hoped the baby growing inside of her hadn't caused her any harm, like the father had. Aria still hadn't decided what she wanted to do with the baby, but Ezra was hoping she would come to a decision soon, not that he was going to pressure her in any way because she already had enough to deal with. He really wasn't sure he was ready to hear her response, considering he might have to help raise a child who's father had caused his love so much pain. But, if that was what Aria wanted, he would find a way to deal with it. He had to, for Aria's sake.

*PLL*

"Aria, it's okay. Whatever decision you make, you have us." Spencer said, rubbing Aria's back as her friend cried. Emily and Hanna nodded in agreement.

"And you still have Ezra too." Emily reminded her.

"Ezra?! I already feel bad enough to be burdening him with this, I don't even know how he'll react if I keep the baby." Aria wailed. "I just, I feel like there's no way out of this. Whatever happens, whether I keep the baby or not, I lose. If I abort it, I'll be going against what I believe in, and I'll never be able to forgive myself for killing an innocent child. And if I keep it, I'll have a constant reminder of what...what happened to me."

"Aria, Ezra loves you. He'll stick by you no matter what, I can say that for a fact." Hanna said. "You can tell just by the way he looks at you that he would do anything for you, including sharing this burden. And, I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, but you need to make a decision sooner or later about this baby, or else it might be too late." she said.

Aria was silent for a moment, before sighing. "You're right. I need to make a decision, but before I do, I really need to talk to Ezra. I'm gonna go, he's probably on his way home from work."

"Do you need a ride?" Spencer asked.

Aria shook her head. "No, I'll just ask Ezra to pick me up." she said, before giving each girl a hug, and leaving, her cell phone out.

*PLL*

"Hey." Ezra said, giving Aria a quick peck on the lips before opening her car door for her.

"Hey." Aria replied.

"How was Spencer's?" Ezra asked once he was seated in the car.

Aria shrugged. "Fine."

The rest of the car ride passed in an uncomfortable silence. When they reached the apartment, Ezra opened Aria's door for her, and they both went up to apartment 3B. As soon as the door was shut, Ezra turned to Aria.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Ezra asked, pretty sure he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

Aria sighed. "I wanted to talk to you before I made my decision."

Ezra nodded. "Okay." he said, guiding Aria to the couch, where they sat down next to each other, Ezra's arm around Aria's waist. He waited for her to begin.

Aria avoided his eyes when she said. "I want to know how you honestly feel about this. Don't try to hold back because you don't want me to be upset or feel pressured or anything like that. I want the truth. Can you do that for me?"

Ezra nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, so tell me. How do you feel about an abortion?" Aria asked.

Ezra hesitated for a moment.

"Ezra..." Aria started.

"I know, I just need to collect my thoughts for a minute. I'll be honest." Ezra promised.

Aria nodded and waited.

"I think...I don't...I'm not a big fan of abortion in general because it's basically killing an innocent child, but if you do get an abortion, it's understandable because of your...situation." he said, trying to be honest yet supportive at the same time.

Aria nodded. "Okay, and...how would you feel if I kept the baby?" she asked.

Ezra sighed. "Honestly, if you keep the baby, I will stand by you. I'll be there every step of the way, that's a promise." he hesitated. "But, I don't know how I would feel about the baby, not just because it will be yours and not mine, but because of what his father did to you." Ezra noticed Aria wince at the last part and he immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, I-"

"No, it's okay. You didn't do it intentionally." Aria said, trying not to show how bothered she was by it.

Ezra stroked her hair, silent for a moment. Then he asked "Have you considered adoption?"

Aria nodded. "It crossed my mind, but after hearing how horrible adoption can be from Caleb, I don't want to subject a child to that."

Ezra nodded, then asked "How do you feel about abortion or keeping the baby?"

Aria sighed. "Honestly, I don't want to get an abortion because I know I won't be able to live with myself knowing that I killed an innocent child. But, at the same time, I worry that I won't love my child if I keep it. I mean, what if I'm not a good mother?"

Ezra tiled Aria's head up to look at him. "Hey, any child would be lucky to be able to call you mommy." he said.

Aria smiled slightly, running her fingers absently through Ezra's soft brown hair. "Thanks."

Ezra responded by pulling her into his chest. Aria leaned against him, closing her eyes as she thought of how to say what she was thinking.

"Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"I think I know what I want to do. But, I just want you to know, that if at any moment you want to back out of this, I'm not going to pressure you to carry the weight of my decision." Aria said.

Ezra pulled away slightly so he could look int her eyes. "Aria, I'm not leaving you no matter what. I'll always be by your side, no matter what you choose." he promised.

Aria looked into his deep blue eyes, her own hazel ones filling with tears. "I think I want to keep the baby."


	8. Chapter 8

Previously:

"Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"I think I know what I want to do. But, I just want you to know, that if at any moment you want to back out of this, I'm not going to pressure you to carry the weight of my decision." Aria said.

Ezra pulled away slightly so he could look int her eyes. "Aria, I'm not leaving you no matter what. I'll always be by your side, no matter what you choose." he promised.

Aria looked into his deep blue eyes, her own hazel ones filling with tears. "I think I want to keep the baby."

Chapter 8:

Ezra felt numb. His arm loosened his hold on Aria, and he stared silently at the wall.

"Ezra?" Aria said uncertainly.

Ezra didn't respond.

"Ezra, please say something." Aria begged, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I...I'm just trying to...take this in." Ezra finally said, breaking out of his trance.

Aria nodded. "Okay, I get it. It's a lot to deal with." she said, trying to hide her fear of the future.

Ezra turned to look at her. "You're one hundred percent sure this is what you want?" he asked, looking deep into her hazel eyes.

Aria hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'm sure. But remember, my decision doesn't have to be your decision too."

Ezra nodded. "I know, but there's no way I'm going to make you raise this baby on your own."

This time Aria searched for any hesitation in his eyes before asking "Are you sure?"

Ezra nodded. "Definitely." he said smiling slightly but then his expression became serious again. "Aria?

"Yes?" Aria asked.

"What about Jake?" Ezra asked and he instantly felt Aria tense up at the mention of Jake's name.

"W-What about him?" Aria asked, clearly shaken up. Ezra felt bad for bringing him up, but he knew that the question had to be asked sooner or later.

"Well, the baby is his too." Ezra said carefully. "Are you going to tell him?"

Aria looked shocked, wondering how she hadn't even thought about telling Jake until now. She shook her head fearfully. "No. He can't be a part of my life or the baby's. I don't want him anywhere near my child." she said firmly.

Ezra nodded in agreement. Looking at all the scars and bruises on Aria's body, Ezra couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen to the baby if Jake got anywhere near it. "Okay. But how are we going to keep this from him? Rosewood is a small town and sooner or later you're going to start to show."

Aria bit her lip, thinking. "What if we...told him the baby is...yours." she said hesitantly.

"Do you think he'd believe us?" Ezra asked. He started to wish that he'd taught Jake too so that he'd know just how smart the guy was.

Aria nodded uncertainly. "Maybe. I mean, we broke up two months ago and got back together about a week ago. And I was with Jake for a few weeks, I think it could work."

Ezra could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, and it killed him. He wished more than anything that he had stopped Aria from walking away those two months ago, leaving him on a bench as tears ran down her cheeks. He felt partially to blame for Aria dating Jake. If he had fought harder for her they would have stayed together and Aria never would have agreed to go out with Jake. She wouldn't have those bruises that were slowly starting to heal, or those scars that prevented her from having flawless skin. Most importantly, she wouldn't be pregnant with the child of a woman-beating rapist.

"Ezra, stop it." Aria said firmly, breaking Ezra out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, hating how easily she could read him.

"You know exactly what. Stop trying to find ways to blame yourself for this situation." Aria said.

"I wasn't-" Ezra started.

"Don't even try it. I know you too well for you to lie to me." Aria said. "Look at me."

Ezra looked into her hazel eyes.

"There is nothing you could have done to prevent this. I was the one that walked away from us, not you. I was the one who agreed to go out with him, not you. I was the one who didn't tell anyone about what he did to me, not you." Aria said, tears in her eyes.

"Hey, wait. This isn't your fault. You needed a break, which is understandable given our situation at the time. I would never hold that against you." Ezra said, wiping the tears from her cheek. "And you didn't know what he was when you agreed to date him. And you didn't tell anyone because you were scared of what he'd do to you, which is completely understandable." Ezra stated firmly.

Aria shrugged. "I never should have walked away from us. I still can't believe that you don't hate me for leaving."

Ezra looked deep into her eyes. "I could never hate you." he said, moving a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

The corners of Aria's mouth curled up ever so slightly in a smile. She wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck and gently kissed him.

"You should smile more often, it makes you look even more beautiful." Ezra said softly before joining their lips once more.

*PLL*

"You're keeping it?" Byron asked incredulously. Aria and Ezra were seated in the Montgomery's living room on the couch across from Byron, Ella and Mike.

Aria nodded again. "Yes, I am." she said firmly, gaining strength as she felt Ezra's hand grasp hers.

"Byron, I think that Aria's doing a very courageous thing." Ella spoke up. Aria smiled gratefully at her mother.

"But, after what that...that monster did to you, how can you bear it? Plus, you're still a teenager, you still have to finish your senior year, go to university...you have your whole life ahead of you!" Byron stated.

"Yes, but I won't be able to live that life knowing that I killed an innocent child's life." Aria shot back.

"And you can't put it up for adoption?" Byron asked.

"Because it would be so much better to abandon my child!" Aria replied sarcastically. She tried to calm herself, knowing that it wouldn't help her situation to let her stupid pregnancy hormones get in the way. She took a deep breath and her voice became gentle but firm as she spoke. "Dad, this isn't an easy decision for me to make and I know that I will have to make a lot of sacrifices, but I'm going to keep this baby."

Byron was silent for a moment. "I'm not going to stop you because this is ultimately your decision and I can't even begin to understand what you went through. But I still want you to finish high school at least."

Aria nodded. "I'm planning on finishing my senior year, there's only four months left and I intend to graduate with everyone else." she assured him.

Byron seemed at ease with her response so Aria turned to her mother and younger brother.

"I told you several times that no matter what you choose I'll support you." Ella said, smiling at her daughter.

"I'm gonna be the best uncle that kid has ever seen." Mike said, smiling.

Aria felt tears in her eyes, but for the first time in a long time, they were tears of happiness. She got up and went to her family, hugging them so tight she was probably hurting them but she didn't care. "I love you guys so much."

"We love you too." Ella replied, squeezing her daughter back.

Suddenly Aria pulled away, letting out a pained shriek. Ezra was at her side in a second, catching her as she collapsed.

"Aria! Aria, what's wrong?!" Ezra said panicking.

"Call 911!" Byron shouted to Mike, who ran into the kitchen.

Ezra picked Aria up and ran to his car, not even noticing as Aria's family called after him. He rushed to the hospital, jumping out and taking an unconscious Aria into the Emergency room, yelling for a doctor. Several nurses came out, and they rushed Aria onto a stretcher.

"Sir, you will have to wait here." one of the nurses said, placing a hand gently but firmly on Ezra's arm as he tried to follow them. He reluctantly allowed the nurse to lead him to the waiting room just as Ella, Byron and Mike came bursting through the doors.

"Where is she?" Byron asked breathlessly.

"They took her into one of the rooms." Ezra replied, gesturing to the room.

Mike sat down next to Ezra, putting his head in his hands as Ella cried into Byron's chest.

"My baby." Ella cried.

"I'm gonna call her friends." Mike mumbled, getting up.

Ezra barely heard any of them. He sat there, head in his hands, hoping and praying that Aria would be okay.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?!" Byron shouted.

Ezra had been so lost in his own worries that he didn't see a tall, blonde boy come into the waiting room until Byron's angry shout echoed through the otherwise quiet waiting room. Ezra looked up to see Jake standing before him, anger in his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Previously:

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?!" Byron shouted.

Ezra had been so lost in his own worries that he didn't see a tall, blonde boy come into the waiting room until Byron's angry shout echoed through the otherwise quiet waiting room. Ezra looked up to see Jake standing before him, anger in his eyes.

Chapter 9:

Ezra stood up and stepped right into Jake's face.

"If this weren't a hospital I would beat the shit out of you right now." Ezra said quietly. "But because it is a hospital, I'm going to give you till I count to three, and if you're not gone by the time I get to three I will make you wish you were never born."

Jake smirked. "I'm not going anywhere so save your breath."

"How can you even stand here without feeling any shame?!" Ezra said, his face turning red in anger. "How much more damage are you going to cause? Do you have any ideas what you've done to her?!"

"Whatever, I'm just here-"

"WHATEVER?! You've done so much to her and all you can say is WHATEVER?!" Ezra shouted, before noticing everyone staring at him. He would've punched Jake right then and there if he wasn't afraid of getting kicked out of the waiting room. He lowered his voice before continuing. "Jake, get the hell out of here, right now."

"Last time I checked this wasn't your property so why don't you calm the fuck down." Jake said, pushing Ezra into his seat. Ezra immediately stood back up and was about to hit Jake when Mike stepped in and did it for him. Jake blocked the hit easily, grabbing Mike's fist and pulling him so that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Don't ever touch me." Jake spat.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Mike shouted getting back to his feet but Byron and Ezra held him back.

"Mike, stop. He's just trying to get us to hit him so we'll get kicked out. Stay calm." Byron said quietly to his son. Mike pulled away from both men and walked away. Byron followed his son, trying to calm him down.

"Aria really doesn't need to have to worry about you too right now. She already has enough problems, most of which are because of you." Ezra said, trying to keep calm.

"Yeah, of course. She's just so fragile and innocent, needing someone to fight all her battles for her." Jake smirked.

"As her boyfriend, I'm trying to protect my girlfriend, something you clearly aren't familliar with consider your girlfriends need protection from you" Ezra said, glaring.

"You know what? That little bitch had exactly what was coming to her! She was weak slut-"

Ezra grabbed Jake's collar and pushed him against the wall.

"Don't EVER talk about Aria that way again, or I swear I will kill you." Ezra said, clenching his teeth. He could feel Ella trying to pull him off Jake but he was too angry to care.

"Ezra, stop it. Let go of him, he's not worth it." Ella pleaded, pulling his arm.

Ezra held Jake for a moment longer before shoving him against the wall, hard. "Leave." he said, pointing to the door.

Jake glared at Ezra, before turning to leave. Right before he left, he turned around, catching Ezra by surprise as his fist connected with Ezra's mouth. Ezra reeled at the impact, and Jake spat on him.

"This isn't over!" He called, running as security guards chased him. Ella knelt in front of Ezra as a nurse came over to examine his lip, which was dripping blood.

"Ezra, are you alright?" Ella asked, tilting his head up so she could examine his lip.

Ezra nodded, his hand on his face. "I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." he said. Just then a nurse touched the part of his lip that was swelling, and he grimaced in pain.

"Go get yourself fixed up." Ella said, nudging him towards the nurse that was waiting for him to follow her.

Ezra hesitated, not wanting to leave in case the doctor came back with news about Aria.

"I'll come get you if we hear anything." Ella assured him, reading his mind.

After a moment, Ezra nodded, following the nurse to a separate room where she put a cotton ball on his lip, cleaning it with something that stung so bad he had tears in his eyes and had to clench his teeth to prevent himself from crying out. She then put six stitches into his lower lip, which hurt a lot less. Within an hour he was good to go and he went back to the waiting room. The girls had arrived and everyone stood up when they saw him.

"Ouch." Hanna said, looking at Ezra's lip.

"It's not that bad." Ezra replied.

Mike stared at Ezra's lip, anger in his eyes."Next time I see that son-of-a-"

"Mike, don't let him get to you, he's just trying to mess with us. We need to stay calm." Ezra said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Just then, a doctor came out of the room. "Aria Montgomery" he called.


	10. Chapter 10

Previously:

"Ouch." Hanna said, looking at Ezra's lip.

"It's not that bad." Ezra replied.

Mike stared at Ezra's lip, anger in his eyes."Next time I see that son-of-a-"

"Mike, don't let him get to you, he's just trying to mess with us. We need to stay calm." Ezra said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Just then, a doctor came out of the room. "Aria Montgomery" he called.

Chapter 10:

Everyone rushed towards the doctor, crowding around her.

"How is she?" Ella asked.

"She's going to be fine." the doctor said with a smile as everyone let out the breathes they'd all been holding.

"What happened?" Byron asked.

"Well, because she's pregnant at such a young age, her body is still adjusting so she may experience dizziness or stomach pain to a higher extent than most pregnant women but it should get better after a few months. When she does feel dizzy or her stomach hurts, you can give her these medications and make sure she's getting plenty of rest and try to put as little stress on her as possible."

"When can she come home?" Ezra asked.

"Actually, her discharge papers are just being prepared. We should be done in about 20 minutes. Would you all like to wait with Aria?" the doctor asked kindly.

There was a series of nods from her friends and family and the doctor led them to a room where Aria lay in bed, slightly pale but otherwise looking healthy.

"Aria you forgot to tell that you're famous, I would've gotten you a bigger room." the doctor joked, winking at Aria who smiled at her friends and family.

"I like to keep a low profile." Aria replied, playing along.

"How are you feeling?" Ezra asked, coming over to plant a kiss on Aria's forehead. She smiled up at him.

"A lot better. Dr. Bernstein gave me some medication for the pain and she said I can go home soon." she replied before looking more closely at Ezra. "What happened to your lip."

Ezra instinctively touched the injury, wincing as a stinging pain shot through his lip. "Nothing, I just got a cut." he said, not wanting to worry her.

"How?" Aria asked putting her hand on Ezra's face and moving his head back and forth, examining the injury.

Ezra looked at Ella for a second when Hanna broke in.

"I think your clumsiness is rubbing off on him. He ran into a pole." Hanna said, laughing.

Ezra looked at her, mentally saying thanks and she smiled.

"It was pretty funny." Spencer piped up, laughing along.

Aria raised an eyebrow at Ezra, in a way that said "We'll talk about this later." She knew her friends well enough to tell when they were hiding something important.

Just then Dr. Bernstein came back with the discharge papers for Aria and her parents to sign. Once that was all done, they said thank you to Dr. Bernstein and were on their way.

*PLL*

"What are you thinking about?" Ezra asked, looking over at Aria as he drove home.

Aria looked over at him. "Ezra, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Ezra said, taking Aria's hand.

"What are you hiding from me?" Aria asked.

Ezra looked back at the road, silent for a moment. "What do you mean?" he finally asked.

"I can tell when you're hiding something. Plus, I've known the girls practically my whole life and I know when they're lying. So please just tell me what's going on." Aria pleaded.

Ezra sighed. "Aria, it's not safe to stress you out while you're pregnant. Just think of it this way, whatever it is, I took care of it."

Aria shook her head. "Ezra please. I can't work with that, I need more."

Ezra was quiet as he continued driving.

"Does it have anything to do with Jake?" Aria asked.

Ezra looked at her for a second and Aria could tell that she'd gotten him.

"Ezra pull over." Aria said.

"Why, we're almost-"

"Pull over." Aria said again.

Ezra reluctantly switched lanes and pulled over before turning so he was facing Aria.

"Did Jake do this?" Aria asked, gently touching Ezra's lip. He winced slightly and Aria pulled her hand back. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Ezra replied. "And it doesn't matter how I got this, all that matters right now is that you stay healthy."

Aria shook her head. "No Ezra, that's not all that matters. I don't want you getting hurt because of me. Please tell me what happened." she said, looking into his blue eyes.

Ezra sighed. He could feel himself cracking before he said. "Jake came to the hospital. I don't know how he knew you were there but he came and he wanted to see you. I told him he couldn't so he shoved me and Mike tried to hit him but he knocked him over. Then he started saying things about you so I grabbed him and he punched me. The security guards chased him out."

Aria stared at the ground for a moment before asking "What did he say about me?"

Ezra put his hand under Aria's chin and tilted her face up so she was looking at him. "It doesn't matter, whatever he said wasn't true."

Aria nodded and was silent for a moment. When she looked back up at Ezra there was fear in her eyes. "Does he know about the baby?"

Ezra shook his head and took Aria's hand. "And we'll make sure he doesn't find out."

Aria smiled and Ezra leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers before immediately pulling away, cursing.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Aria asked, panicking and worried.

Ezra closed his eyes for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Damn, I wish he'd hit my nose instead..."

Aria laughed before resting her head on Ezra's shoulder. "Don't worry your lip will heal soon and then we can make up for it later." she said, winking.

Ezra smiled as he started the car again and eased back into the rush of cars, driving home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of a time gap this chapter. Aria is now seven months pregnant

"No! Stop, please! No!"

Ezra's eyes flew open as a scream filled his ears. He turned around to see Aria shaking and crying, her eyes shut tight.

"Aria, wake up." Ezra said, shaking her gently. Aria's eyes flew open and she started to hit him, her eyes wide in terror.

"No, stop it! Let go!" she yelled, her eyes wide in terror.

"Aria, it's me." Ezra said, trying to stop her flailing limbs.

Aria struggled for a moment before collapsing against his chest.

"Shh, it's okay. It was just a dream." Ezra soothed, running his hand up and down her back.

"H-he was hitting me, and he w-wouldn't stop." Aria sobbed, clinging to Ezra's body so hard that it hurt him but he just continued to rub her back.

"It was just a dream. I won't let him hurt you ever again." Ezra murmured. He continued to calm her for the next hour until her crying reduced to hiccups. After a while Aria let go and got up.

"Where are you going?" Ezra asked.

"I'm going to go for a drive, I need some air." Aria replied, grabbing her keys.

"Okay, let's go." Ezra said, getting up.

"You're coming too?" Aria asked, surprised.

"Of course! It's 4 am and you're pregnant and upset." Ezra pointed out, tossing Aria a sweater as he put one over his own head.

Aria smiled, relieved. She was glad that he was going with her, she didn't want to be by herself. "Thanks." she said, handing him the keys. He held her hand as they walked out of his apartment and down to the parking lot.

"Anywhere specific you wanted to go?" Ezra asked, settling into the driver's seat.

Aria shook her head. "Is it okay if we just drive around for a little while?" she asked quietly.

"Of course." Ezra said, pulling out of the parking lot. He started to drive around, eventually towards the outskirts of Rosewood. Aria stared out the window in silence. Ezra could tell that she was exhausted but he knew that sleep wasn't easy for Aria because she had nightmares often and woke up screaming. Lately they had started to become less frequent, but tonight had been really bad. Ezra reached over and squeezed Aria's leg before reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers. Aria looked over and gave Ezra a tired smile before going back to staring out the wind.

"What are you thinking about?" Ezra asked after a few minutes.

Aria shrugged. "A little of everything I guess. The baby, my dream...Jake."

"Want to talk about it?" Ezra asked.

Aria sighed. "Whenever I'm thinking about anything, Jake always manages to creep into my thoughts. I could be thinking of something as simple as what I want for dinner, or whether or not to buy something and then all of a sudden something will trigger a memory of when I was with Jake and it's driving me insane."

Ezra squeezed her hand. "That's not your fault. He had a huge impact on your life and you couldn't help that. He may be someone you think about a lot now, but with time your memory of him will start to fade away."

Aria's lips turned up just the slightest bit. "Thanks. You always know the perfect thing to say."

Ezra squeezed her hand again and offered a smile before turning his eyes back to the road.

"Try to get some sleep." he said gently, touching her cheek with his hand before placing it back in hers. Aria closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window. Ezra started to hum Happiness quietly, trying to lull her to sleep. Before long, he could hear her soft snores over the engine.

Ezra looked over at her to make sure she was asleep before turning around a driving back to Rosewood. He arrived home within an hour with Aria still asleep and he gently lifted her out of the car. She sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest as he gently carried her up to his apartment. Once inside, he placed her on his bed and tucked her in before sliding in next to her. Once he was in bed, he felt Aria cuddling into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Soon enough he fell asleep too, his love by his side.

*PLL*

"Ezra? Wake up!" Aria whispered, shaking Ezra.

"Mmmm" Ezra groaned, slapping Aria's hand away as he covered himself in a blanket.

"Ezra!" Aria said, annoyed. She shook him again.

Ezra lifted his head out of the blanket. "What's the matter?" he asked groggily.

"Can you get me a burger and fries...and maybe a shake?" Aria asked.

Ezra looked at her strangely. "Aria, it's 9am."

Aria shrugged. "I can't control the cravings. Blame the baby."

Ezra rolled his eyes as he sat up. "You're lucky I love you."

Aria smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "Thanks babe."

"Back in a bit." Ezra responded, pulling a pair of jeans over his boxers and grabbing his keys before exiting the apartment. When he returned a half hour later he found Aria curled up on the couch, asleep. He put the food on the table and went over to her, gently shaking her awake.

"Aria? Honey, your food's here." he said gently as Aria opened her eyes.

Aria sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Okay." she said, getting up. As soon as she stood, she lost her balance and almost fell face-first onto the ground if Ezra hadn't caught her.

"Wow, are you alright?" Ezra asked, concerned.

Aria nodded, holding her head. "Yeah...yeah, just a little dizzy. I'm fine."

"Here." Ezra said, helping her sit back down. "I'll bring you the food and you can just eat here."

"Thanks sweetie." Aria said, as Ezra grabbed a tray and put the burger, fries and shake on it, giving it to Aria.

"Anything for you." Ezra replied, taking a fry and popping it into his mouth before sitting down next to Aria. "I'm ordering you to bed rest for the next few days at least. At seven months you should be taking things easy. You need to relax for the baby's sake, especially because of all the stress that you've been dealing with. Just try to take it easy, okay?"

"But Ezra, we still need to finish picking out the baby's clothes and we still haven't bought the crib and-" Aria started.

"No buts Aria. I'll have the girs help finish picking out the rest of the clothes, crib and everything else. All you need to worry about is making sure you and the baby stay healthy" Ezra said firmly.

Aria looked like she was about to protest but Ezra gave her a look and she kept quiet. Once she finished eating she lay down on the couch and turned the TV on, falling asleep within an hour.

As Ezra watched his girlfriend sleep he thought of how much things had changed lately. At first he had been very uncomfortable with the thought of Aria keeping the baby, although he made sure not to let it show, but now he actually started looking forward to the idea of being a sort-of father. The child may not be his, and it may not have been made with love, but it belonged to the love of his life and he was actually excited to welcome the new baby into the world. Everyone else seemed to be happy too as the girls were always constantly buying new things for the baby, and Ella and Byron had been helping them out a lot, taking care of Aria while Ezra worked, bringing over meals sometimes because they knew that too much take-out was bad for the baby, things like that. Everyone had really come together to help make sure they were ready for the baby's arrival when the time came.

The best part was that Aria hadn't seen or heard from Jake in at least three months and he had no idea that Aria was pregnant. They were careful to make sure that Aria didn't leave the house very often just in case, and they were always looking out for Jake whenever she was out, but so far things were going well. Hopefully they would stay that way.

Ezra got up and gently lifted Aria up from the couch, trying to be careful, but with the added weight of the baby it was difficult. He carried her to the bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead before leaving her to sleep peacefully.


	12. Chapter 12

"We really need to talk." Ella said, entering her bedroom where her husband was working away, marking essays.

"Honey, I'm a little busy right now, can it wait?" Byron asked, not looking up from his papers.

"No Byron, it can't wait." Ella said, walking over to him and taking the paper he was working on out of his hand.

"Hey! I was—"

"Byron!"

Byron looked up at his wife, noticing the worry in her eyes "What's the matter?" he asked, moving over so Ella could sit down.

"We need to talk about Jake." Ella said, sitting next to him.

Byron immediately became worried. "Does he know about—"

"No, that's not it" Ella said quickly.

"Then?" Byron asked, confused.

"Byron, what have we done to make sure that boy doesn't go near Aria? We've hardly done enough to try and scare him away."

Byron opened his mouth to protest but Ella shook her head, signaling that she wasn't done.

"I know that you kicked him out of our house and that you threatened to hurt him several times but do you really think we're doing enough? The boy raped and beat our daughter! When we found out that she was seeing Ezra, we did so much to keep them apart, going so far as to try and send Ezra to a different state! Now that she's dealing with Jake, I can't help but feel that we're not doing as much as we could."

"So what do you want me to do?" Byron asked.

"Whatever it takes! We need to make sure that our daughter is always safe and we can't just put all the responsibility on Ezra. I mean, I trust him to take care of Aria but he's only human and he's dealing with a lot too right now. Imagine what it must be like to find out that your girlfriend is pregnant, and the father of the baby did those things to her. We need to make sure that Jake stays out of her life once a for all, and we need to make sure he never finds out about this baby."

"You're right!" Byron said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Ella asked.

"To teach that son-of-a-bitch who's daughter he messed with." Byron said angrily as he grabbed his coat from the closet. Ella got up and grabbed his arm.

"Byron, you can't just go over to his house and beat him up. His father's the chief-of-police and that boy is from a family that let money solve all of their problems. You'll go to jail and he'll probably get off without so much as a scratch."

"Well I'm not just going to sit here and let that bastard walk around freely." Byron said.

"No, but I have an idea." Ella said, motioning for Byron to sit back down.

*PLL*

"Hey Aria!" Emily said, picking up her phone.

"Hey Em! How's it going?" Aria replied.

"The usual. Just on my way home from work. How's everything with the baby?" Emily replied.

"Great, the morning sickness and the strange cravings are just awesome." Aria said sarcastically. "Guess what I ate an hour ago."

"What?"  
"Mashed potatoes with bits of apples and peaches in it."

"Gross!" Emily shrieked.

"Right?" Aria said. "It was surprisingly not bad. You should try it."

Emily laughed. "I wouldn't eat that even if my life depended on it."

"Didn't think so." Aria said, laughing. "Listen, I need a favour."

"Shoot." Emily replied.

"Okay, so Ezra pretty much has me on house arrest because I keep getting dizzy because of the baby. But the thing is we haven't finished picking out the clothes and some of the furniture so could you, Hanna and Spencer—"

"Say no more, consider it done." Emily said.

"Thanks Em! You're a total lifesaver! Ezra's getting off work at 6:00 so he'll probably be able to meet you guys at the mall by 6:45ish, is that okay?

"Perfect!" Emily said. "Hanna's going to have some serious fun with this."

Aria laughed. "Just make sure she doesn't buy the whole store." She joked.

"I don't think I'll be able to stop her." Emily replied, giggling.

"Very true! Thanks again, Em! You're a lifesaver!" Aria said, gratefully.

"What are friends for?" Emily replied before hanging up.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Im sooooo sorry, I completely forgot to update this story. All the chapter are written, which is probably why I dont think about this story as much. because I made u wait, u get two chapters. So sorry!

Previously:

"We were thinking New York." Byron said. "I have a sister there who would be more than happy to let you two stay with her, at least until the baby is born."

Aria hesitated, looking at Ezra. "We'd have to talk about it first." She said.

Ella nodded. "We figured as much. You don't have to let us know right away, but talk it over and let us know what you decide, okay?"

Aria nodded. "Okay. Thanks mom and dad."

"Your welcome. We just want to make sure you're safe." Byron said.

Aria nodded. "I am." She said, smiling at Ezra. He smiled back, squeezing her hand.

Chapter 13:

Ezra sat down next to Aria, handing her a plate of lasagne and a fork.

"Thank you!" she said, smiling as she lifted her forkful of lasagne to her mouth and took a bite. "Mmmm."

"Aria?"

"Mhm?"

"I think we should take your parents' offer" Ezra said quietly.

Aria put her fork down and looked up at him. "I don't think it's a very good idea. I mean, I know they're trying to keep me safe but I'm sick and tired of letting Jake change everything about my life. And I want to have my baby here, in Rosewood with all of my friends and family."

"But what about your safety? Or the baby's safety?" Ezra asked.

"We'll be fine, I have an amazing boyfriend who takes great care of me and I have my friends and family who are always there for me." Aria said, smiling at him.

"What if something happens when I'm not there?" Ezra said.

"Nothing will happen. We'll be fine. Besides, you have a job here, and you can't exactly drive three hours every morning to come from New York and then drive three hours back every day." Aria pointed out.

"You're more important than any job." Ezra replied.

"I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I tore you away from a job that you love." Aria said, putting her hand on his cheek.

"But I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I let something happen to you by staying in Rosewood." Ezra said evenly.

Aria sighed. "Ezra, I don't want to leave Rosewood."

"I know, but if we don't, who knows what could happen." Ezra said, putting his arms around her. Aria leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his chest and she felt his chin resting on her head.

"I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you." he murmured.

Aria's eyes filled with tears. "Ezra, you're always sacrificing so much for me, I can't take your entire life away."

"You are my life." Ezra responded, holding her tighter against his chest.

"If we leave, what would you do about work?" Aria asked.

"Well, it would only be for a few months, I can handle the drive." Ezra replied.

Aria looked up at him. "You have a class that ends at 9, you would be home at 12 every Wednesday, and then you'd have marking to do and lesson plans."

Ezra shrugged. "I could always take care of that when my students are working or when I have a break between classes. Whatever I don't finish, I'll do when I get home."

"You would really be willing to do that for three months?" Aria asked.

Ezra nodded without hesitation. "For you, I'd drive to Hollis from the other side of the country if I had to."

Aria looked into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, more than life itself."

Ezra smiled. "I love you too." he said, tilting her chin up and kissing her.

*PLL*

"Ella?" a voice said, breaking Ella out of her thoughts as she looked up and saw Veronica Hastings standing in front of her. She was seated at the Brew, drinking a latte and doing some marking.

"Veronica! Glad you could make it!" Ella said, standing up from her seat and giving the woman a hug. "Please sit." she said, gesturing towards a chair. Veronica sat down, smoothing her skirt.

"Can I get you anything?" Ella asked.

Veronica shook her head. "No thank you, I'm fine. Actually, I can't stay long, I've got an appointment with a client in an hour. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Ella looked down at her hands for a moment, folding them in her lap. "You're aware of what my daughter's been through recently?"

Veronica nodded. "Spencer gave me a brief version of what happened. She assumed that was why you called me."

Ella nodded. "Actually yes, it was. You see, Byron and I want justice for what that boy did to Aria."

"You want me to represent you?" Veronica said.

"Yes." Ella said, nodded. "You're the best lawyer in Rosewood and we know think that Aria might be more comfortable around you considering you're her best friend's mother."

Veronica pondered this for a moment. "All right. I'll do it. I don't want that piece of trash walking freely around Rosewood, knowing that he got away with something as serious as sexual and physical assault just because his father's the chief of police. I'll sue the police department if I have to, but that boy will not get off so easily."

Ella smiled, relieved. "Thank you so much Veronica! I knew I could count on your help."

"It's my job." Veronica said, smiling as she stood up. "I hate to leave so soon but I really need to get to my appointment. I'll call you as soon as I have something." With that, she strode out of the Brew, leaving Ella by herself, a smile on her face.

*PLL*

"Hello?" Ella said into the reciever.

"Mom? It's me." Aria said. "How are you?"

"I'm good honey, how are you?" Ella replied cheerfully.

"I'm good. Listen, Ezra and I talked about what you said yesterday..."

"And?" Ella asked.

"I think we're going to take it." Aria said.

Ella was shocked, but happy. When she'd left yesterday, she could tell that Aria wasn't too crazy about the idea. She thought her daughter was going to be stubborn about it. She didn't know how Ezra had done it, but she was glad that he'd managed to convince her. "That's great honey! I'll tell your father to call your Aunt Lily and let her know you're coming."

"Thanks mom." Aria said. "Oh, and one thing."

"Yes sweetie?"

"You have to promise that you'll make sure you, dad, Mike and the girls will all be there when I'm ready to give birth." Aria said. "I don't want to leave if it means that I can't have you guys there when I need you."

"I promise." Ella assured her daughter. "I'll come by tomorrow and help you pack, okay?"

"Sounds good." Aria said before hanging up


	14. Chapter 14

Aria and Ella were sitting in Ezra's apartment, packing up boxes of some of the young couples' belongings to take to New York.

"God, I hate these cramps." Aria complained, holding her stomach.

"Don't worry, you've only got about a week and a half until you're due. It'll all be over soon." Ella sympathized.

"Yeah, I guess. Pregnancy sucks."

Ella laughed at her daughter's bluntness. "But the reward is worth it. Want me to get you some painkillers?"

Aria nodded. "Yes please."

Ella stood up and went to the cabinet, grabbing a bottle of Advil before taking a glass out of the cupboard and pouring some water into the glass. She handed both of them to her daughter.

"Thanks mama." Aria said, popping a pill into her mouth and chugging down the water.

"Anytime sweetie." Ella said, stroking her daughter's hair. She stood up and went back to sorting through Aria and Ezra's stuff that covered the floor.

"MOM WAIT!" Aria shrieked, holding her hands out frantically, stopping Ella from throwing away an old movie stub.

"Why? This movie is from..." Ella checked the date. "almost two years ago."

Aria grabbed the stub out of her mother's hand and examined it for any damage. "Yeah, but this is the first movie Ezra and I saw together." she said, turning red.

Ella smiled. "Aww."

Aria turned even redder and tried to make herself busy, carefully storing books into boxes. When she looked up again her mother was examining two paper bags.

"Mom, could you please put those down." Aria said.

Ella raised her eyebrows. "These are sentimental too?"

Aria nodded. "Our first picture as a couple." she said, not meeting her mother's eyes as she smiled to herself.

Ella laughed. "Wow." was all she said.

Aria gave her a look before getting up. "How about you pack up the stuff in the kitchen instead?"

Ella rolled her eyes but stood up, heading towards the kitchen. She went to the fridge and took out a lime that was growing mold. "Can I throw this out or is this sentimental too?" she teased.

Aria laughed. "Actually, it sort of is. It's more of an inside joke. I would love to throw that out but you're going to have to ask Ezra."

"Ask me what?" Ezra said, entering the apartment.

Aria burst out laughing, and Ezra looked at Ella confused. He noticed the furry lime in her hands and got a vague idea of what she was talking about, causing him to start laughing too. "Why does everyone mess with my lime?" he asked laughing, which only caused Aria to laugh harder. Ella stared at the couple, confused but she smiled at her daughter's happiness.

"I'm just going to put this back in the fridge." Ella said, shaking her head at the pair.

When she'd caught her breath, Aria turned to Ezra. "How was work?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek against his chest.

"It was good. I managed to get most of my marking done and I was thinking that maybe we could order a pizza and just kick back and relax tonight? Maybe watch a movie?" Ezra asked.

Aria smiled. "Sounds like a plan. We've been working on this practically all day and I'm just about ready to collapse."

"It's been a long day." Ella added, walking over to the couch where she grabbed her coat.

"Are you going? You can join us if you want." Ezra offered. He was secretly hoping she'd decline, wanting to keep Aria to himself after being away from her for so many hours but he didn't want to be rude to his friend and former colleague and possible future mother-in-law.

Ella shook her head. "That's very nice of you to offer Ezra, but I'm up to my eyeballs in Shakespeare." she said, grabbing her purse and giving her daughter a quick hug. "Bye sweetie."

"Bye Mama. Thanks for your help." Aria said, giving her mother a kiss on her cheek.

"Anytime baby girl. Bye Ezra." Ella said, letting herself out.

"Drive safe." Ezra called after her.

When she left, Aria walked over to Ezra and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So it appears we have a night to ourselves."

Ezra smiled down at her. "Just you and me."

*PLL*

Aria lay on the couch snuggled against Ezra's chest, asleep when a wrenching pain travelled through her stomach, causing her to scream as she jolted into a sitting position, clutching her stomach.

Ezra's eyes opened immediately and he stood up, bending over Aria, who was sobbing. "Aria, what's wrong? Is it the baby? Are you okay?"

Aria looked up at him, and he was surprised to see a smile on her face. "Ezra, my water just broke."

Ezra's face went pale as he went into panic mode, but he quickly stopped, took a deep breath and tried to pull himself together. What happened next all happened in a blur. All he could remember was rushing Aria to the hospital and calling Ella and Spencer to tell them to hurry up and to call everyone else. They had all arrived in record time, everyone in their PJs with the exception of Spencer, who'd been up studying. Now, Aria lay exhausted in a hospital bed, covered in perspiration and tears, holding a tiny baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket.

Ezra stood beside Aria, stroking her hair. "She's beautiful." he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

Aria nodded very slightly, her tired face lit with happiness as she stared lovingly at her daughter. "This all feels so surreal."

"I know." Ezra replied, staring down at the tiny little face.

"Do you want to hold her?" Aria asked, looking up at him.

Ezra nodded. "Can I?"

"Of course." Aria replied, holding her arms up. Ezra carefully lifted the little bundle into his arms and staring into the little girl's face as she slept peacefully, oblivious to the world around her. Ezra stood there, mesmerized by her for ages before he tore his gaze away to look at Aria, who had let the exhaustion overcome her body, falling into a slumber, her expression similar to that of her daughter's. Ezra quietly sat down in the chair next to Aria's bed, staring down at the little bundle of joy in his arms.

"She looks just like Aria." a voice whispered over his shoulder.

Ezra looked back to see Ella staring down at her granddaughter with tears in her eyes. Ezra held his arms out and Ella picked her up. "Have you and Aria decided on her name yet?" she asked.

Ezra shook his head. "She's told me some of her ideas and asked me if I had any, but honestly, it's Aria's baby and I don't feel like I should have a say. Don't get me wrong, I love both Aria and this adorable little child and I will treat her like my own daughter, but, in the end, she's not really my baby.

Ella hesitated. "I see where you're coming from, I really do. But, in a way, she really is yours. You're more of a father to her than Jake ever will be."

Ezra shrugged. "But technically, she's still not mine."

Ella sighed. "I guess. Although, in my opinion, she'll always be yours and I'm pretty sure Aria feels the same way. But I see your point and I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong, because, technically, you're right."

Ezra nodded but didn't say anything.

"Why don't you go get something to eat." Ella said after a moment. "You've been sitting her for at least six hours."

Ezra hesitated, looking at Aria's sleeping form.

"She's not going to wake up for at least a few more hours. And, if she does, I'll come right out and get you." Ella promised, reading his mind.

Ezra smiled. "Okay. I'll be back in a bit." he said, leaving. He went through the waiting room, smiling as he saw Aria's three best friends asleep, Spencer and Hanna leaning against Emily's shoulder and Emily's head rested against Spencer's. Beside them, Mike and Byron sat with coffees in their hands, bags under both of their eyes. They looked up and smiled as Ezra approached them.

"I'm going down to the cafeteria. Want anything?" he asked them.

"Could you grab me a turkey sandwich?" Mike asked. Byron shook his head.

"Sure. I'll be back in a bit." Ezra responded, heading down to the cafeteria. After scarfing down a sandwich and a coffee, he headed back up with Mike's sandwich. As he stepped out of the elevator, he collided into a muscular frame.

"Sorry, I didn't-" he stopped mid-sentence as he noticed who was standing before him.


	15. Chapter 15

Previously:

As he stepped out of the elevator, he collided into a muscular frame.

"Sorry, I didn't-" he stopped mid-sentence as he noticed who was standing before him.

Chapter 15:

Ezra barely had a chance to say anything as he was pinned to the wall.

"Where the hell is she?" Jake said, his face inches from Ezra's.

"I wouldn't tell you even if you killed me." Ezra said, glaring into his enemy's brown eyes.

Jake punched Ezra in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He recovered quickly, side-stepping Jake as he took another lunge at him. Jake stumbled a little and Ezra took that chance to tackle him to the floor. The two men rolled around on the floor, trying to pin the other one down. After a few moments of this, a pair of high heel-clad feet stopped in front of them.

"What on earth are you two doing?" the woman said calmly.

Ezra looked up, shocked when he recognized the voice. "Mom?"

At the same time, Jake looked up with the expression of a deer in headlights and said "Mrs. Fitzgerald?"

Ezra looked confusedly between Jake and his mom. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Dianne's face went pale. "No." she said quickly. "Who are you?"

Jake stared between mother and son, at a loss for words.

Ezra stood up and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at his mother. "Oh no."

*PLL*

High-pitched wails jolted Aria out of her peaceful slumber. She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings before she looked towards the sound of the wails, expecting to see Ezra attempting to soothe the baby. She was surprised to find Ella pacing around the room, rocking the baby back and forth. Ella looked over at her daughter, smiling.

"Hey there sleepyhead."

"Hey momma." Aria said. She was still really tired and still in some pain so it took her a moment to sit up in her bed. "Can I take her?" she asked, holding her arms out.

"Of course!" Ella replied, approaching Aria and placing the newborn in the young mother's arms. Aria began to rock her baby, the cries instantly quieting, and eventually, silencing. Aria looked up to see Ella staring down at her, tears in her eyes.

"You're going to be such a great mother to that little girl." Ella said, wiping her tears.

Aria smiled up at her mother. "Thanks Mama." she said, leaning her head against her mom's shoulder.

"So have you decided on a name for this adorable child?" Ella asked.

Aria hesitated. "Yes, but I want to ask Ezra about it first. I know he doesn't think it's his place but I really want him to be a part of this."

Ella nodded. "I tried to talk to him while you were asleep but he didn't budge. If anyone can get through to him, it's you."

Aria pondered this for a moment. "You're right. Mom, could you call him in here?"

Ella smiled. "Sure." she said, standing up and kissing her daughter's forehead before she left.

*PLL*

"How could you?" Ezra demanded angrily, glaring at his mother.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dianne said indignantly.

"Oh really? Then PLEASE explain to me how the hell he knows you!" Ezra said, pointing angrily towards Jake.

Dianne shrugged, but Ezra could tell that she was nervous under her indifferent demeanor. "Why don't you ask him?"

Ezra turned to Jake and grabbed him by the collar. "Explain."

Jake looked wide-eyed between Ezra and Dianne. After a moment, he sighed. "It's over."

Ezra nodded, returning his glare to his mother. "I thought so."

Dianne looked angrily at her son. "She's not right for you."

Ezra stormed in front of her, glaring down at her. "You're going to explain to me everything you've done and then you're going to get the hell out of my life." he said, daring her to disagree.

"You can't talk to me that way!" Dianne seethed.

"I CAN TALK TO YOU HOWEVER THE FUCKING WANT!" Ezra shouted, his face crimson with rage. Dianne stared at him, shocked that he had raised his voice at her. "You are not my mother."

"Ezra-"

"No! Just tell me what I want to know and then leave!" Ezra said.

Dianne looked at Jake for a moment. "I don't know what you want from me."

"The truth."

Dianne sighed. "Okay, I did it."

"What did you do?" Ezra said. He wanted the full explanation and would not leave until he got it.

"I hired Jake to distract Aria from you so that you wouldn't end up back together."

"Excuse me?!" said a voice behind them. Ezra, Dianne and Jake turned around to see Ella standing behind them. She stormed up to Dianne and slapped her. Dianne stared at her shocked.

"How dare you do something so horrible to my daughter?! The poor child can't even sleep without having nightmares because of your selfishness and cruelty!" Ella seethed.

Dianne, who had composed herself somewhat said "I warned her."

"Warned her to what?! Fight for the man she loves?! A man who loves her unconditionally?!" Ella said angrily. "Look at your son. It's obvious how happy he is with my daughter and how happy she is with him. I may not have condoned their relationship from the start, but eventually I realized that Aria and Ezra belong together. I don't care if you believe me or not, but if you dare touch a finger on my baby girl's head, or pay someone else to, God help me, I will rip out those hair extensions and use them to strangle you."

Ezra and Dianne stared open-mouthed at Aria's mother as she swiftly turned on her heel and approached Jake, stopping directly in front of him. She stared at him, disgusted, before slapping him across the face. "Stay the hell away from my daughter or else."

Jake stumbled at the sudden impact and cursed. He rubbed his hand on his cheek and stared at Ella in shock. Ella, having done what she needed, turned around and started walking away, before looking back at Ezra. "Aria's awake and she wants to see you."

Ezra nodded and gave her a gesture that meant he would be there in a second. When Ella had left he turned back to his mother and Jake. "Leave. Both of you."

Jake started for the elevator and Dianne stared at Ezra for a moment before following the young man. As she entered the elevator she looked up at Ezra. "This isn't over." she said, just as the elevator door closed.


	16. Chapter 16

Previously:

Jake started for the elevator and Dianne stared at Ezra for a moment before following the young man. As she entered the elevator she looked up at Ezra. "This isn't over." she said, just as the elevator door closed.

Chapter 16:

This isn't over.

The words repeatedly ran through Ezra's head as he stood in front of the mirror of the hospital bathroom. He knew his mother was capable of many things but he had never expected her to do something so awful to Aria and, although he hated to admit it, it scared him. He wanted Aria to be safe, especially now that she was a mother. The thought of anything happening to either Aria or the baby made Ezra's head spin and he knew he needed to do something to keep Dianne away from them.

There was only one thing that could keep Dianne away.

Ezra knew what he had to do.

*PLL*

Ezra walked into the room, stopping at the sight in front of him.

Aria was sitting on the bed, her back against the wall, staring down at the little bundle that she cradled in her arms. She hadn't noticed Ezra's presence yet and she watched her little girl sleep, a faint smile on her beautiful face. The only sound in the room came from the little baby girl who was breathing softly.

Ezra pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, wanting to treasure this moment forever. Aria looked up when she heard the click that meant the picture had been taken.

"Hey there." she said.

Ezra came to sit down next to Aria and placed his arm around her waist. Out of habit, she leaned into his shoulder and nuzzled her face into his neck.

"When did you wake up?" Ezra asked.

"About an hour ago. What took you so long?" Aria asked.

Aria instantly felt Ezra tense up beside her and she lifted her head to look up at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, was just finishing up my lunch." Ezra lied, trying to relax.

Aria stared at him for a moment. "Is everything okay?"

Ezra forced a smile as he said "Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

Aria watched him carefully, not sure whether or not to believe him. Deciding that she was just imagining things because she was tired, she decided to drop it. "Never mind."

Ezra inwardly sighed in relief although, on the outside, he remained perfectly normal. "So your mom said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah." Aria said, looking down at her daughter before looking back up at Ezra. "I think I have a name for her but I wanted to ask you first."

"Aria, I-"

"I know you said you don't think you should help name her but I want you to be a part of this decision." Aria stated.

Ezra hesitated for a moment, not quite sure what to do.

"Please? For me?" Aria pleaded.

Ezra sighed, giving in. "Okay, what do you want to name her?"

Aria smiled. "I was deciding between Isabel, Daisy and Ariana."

Ezra pondered the three names for a moment. "I think I like Isabel the most."

Aria nodded, smiling at her boyfriend. "Isabel it is." she said, leaning forward and kissing him. Ezra kissed her back, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek.

"WAAAAH!" Isabel abruptly began to cry and Aria screamed, startled. Ezra laughed at his girlfriend's reaction, rolling his eyes.

Aria's hand flew to her heart. "That scared the living daylights out of me!"

"I know." Ezra said, not even bothering to contain his laughter. "I wish I had that on film."

Aria pouted and stuck out her tongue as she began to rock Isabel. "Meanie."

"Here." he said, holding out his arms, which Aria gently placed Isabel into. Ezra began to rock Isabel, cooing and murmuring softly to the baby. Isabel's screams soon subsided and she sat there, staring quietly at Ezra, her eyes a darker hazel than Aria's. He was sure that they would soon be the exact same colour as he had learned that a baby's eyes became lighter after a week or so.

Ezra was hypnotized by Isabel's little face, staring up at him until he heard a soft click and laughed when he realized that Aria had taken a picture of him and Isabel. He looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

Aria just shrugged. "You look really cute with her in your arms. Besides, you started it." she said, referring to the picture he'd taken earlier.

*PLL*

"Ella?" Ezra said, stopping the older brunette, who was on her way into her daughter's room. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Ella said smiling at her friend. "What's up?"

Ezra looked uncomfortable and he gestured towards the elevator. Ella followed him.

Once they were inside the elevator with the door shut, Ella turned to the younger man. "Ezra, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I can't be with Aria anymore." Ezra blurted out.

Ella stared at him for a moment, his words not registering in her brain. "I-I'm sorry?"

Ezra took a deep breath and repeated himself more firmly. "I can't be with Aria anymore."

Ella stared at him, sure that she'd heard him right this time. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Ezra looked at her, pain in his eyes. "Ella, my mother did all of this to Aria, and I know she isn't going to stop trying to ruin her until we're not together anymore. I can't let anything happen to Aria, especially not with Isabel in the picture."

"Isabel?" Ella said, confused for a second.

"The baby." Ezra supplied and Ella smiled.

"Isabel." she said, trying the name out. After a second she nodded. "I like it."

Ezra smiled back but he quickly became serious again. "Ella, I don't want anything to happen to them and I need you for this because you're the only other person that knows that my mom is responsible for this. You can't tell Aria what you know because, if she knows that I'm just doing this to protect her, she'll never let it happen. We both know how stubborn she can be.

Ella nodded, understanding his situation, but she bit her lip, troubled. "Ezra, you know Aria as well as I do, and we both know she's not just going to sit back and let you go. She's going to fight for you, even if you're trying hard not to fight back."

Ezra nodded. "I know, I thought about that. And I realized that I can do something about that, but this is the hard part. If Aria thinks that I don't want to be with her, she'll leave me alone. She might fight for us at first, but she'll eventually back down if she thinks that it won't work."

Ella was quiet for a moment before she quietly said. "I don't know if this is the right thing to do."

"I know it'll hurt her, and it'll kill me on the inside to see her upset, but I need to know that she's safe." Ezra stressed.

"Ezra, I don't know if I can go along with this. You haven't seen her when you two are fighting. She stays in her room for days, curled up in her blanket, crying. It's so hard to see her like that."

Ezra could relate. Every time he saw Aria was upset about something, he felt this need inside of him to make everything right for her and to shield her from all the pain in the world. "Ella, this is going to be hard, I know. But it's better than the alternative. We've already seen what my so-called mother can do, Aria still has nightmares about Jake and it's been almost a year."

Ella sighed as she looked into the sad eyes of her friend and former colleague. He and Aria had been through so much together and she hated that, even after all the obstacles they'd overcome, there may be a chance they still wouldn't end up happy together. She knew that she should be putting her child's safety first, but part of her wondered if Aria would be better off safe or happy.

"Are you sure there's no other way?" she asked.

"Dianne always gets what she wants." Ezra replied bitterly.

Ella pressed the button to open the elevator door, bracing herself for the long ride ahead of her.


	17. Chapter 17

Ezra stood outside the door of Aria's room. She had been released from the hospital three days earlier and was staying with her parents so that Ella could help her with Isabel. Ezra took a few deep breaths, bracing himself for the moment he'd have to see the tears flowing from the beautiful hazel eyes of his love, knowing that he would be the one to cause them. Ezra took one last deep breath before knocking lightly on the door.

"Come in." came a quiet voice from inside. Ezra opened the door and found Aria gently placing a sleeping Isabel in her crib. She looked up at him and put her finger to her lips, motioning for him to be silent. Ezra nodded and waited for her to tuck the little baby in, placing a gentle kiss on her little cheek before she tiptoed over to the door and shut it, smiling up at Ezra.

"We've got about two hours until she wakes up, what do you want to do?" Aria asked, smiling at Ezra.

Ezra felt a stab in his chest at the sight of her happiness, which was mixed with tiredness when he noticed the bags under her eyes. He'd tried to take care of Isabel when she woke up at night, but Aria would always be up first, and when he'd insist, Aria would lie awake, waiting for him to come back and assure her that everything was fine. These past few days had really taken a toll on her, and he hated that he was about to burden her even more. Part of him wanted to just stay with Aria and protect her from his mother, but the other part of him knew that it was risky, that his mother would find a way to get to her. That part took over as Ezra lead Aria out the door to his car, opening her door for her before settling down in the driver's seat.

"Ezra?" Aria said, bring him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Everything okay?" Aria asked, looking at him curiously.

Ezra forced a smile. "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Aria asked skeptically.

"I'm just a little tired." Ezra replied.

Aria shrugged, clearly not believing him, but she didn't press him, for which Ezra was grateful for. He started the car and began driving.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked.

"Umm, i was thinking we could grab some coffee and then go to the park. Is that okay?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Aria replied, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. The rest of the ride passed in silence, although it wasn't awkward as Aria was just enjoying the quiet after constantly hearing Isabel's cries and Ezra was thinking about what he was about to do.

When they arrived at the park, they walked towards a secluded area and sat down on the grass. Aria lay on the floor, her head in Ezra's lap and he stroked her hair, looking out at the river, trying to enjoy his last few moments with her. After a while, he knew he couldn't delay it any longer.

"Aria?"

"Hmm?" Aria said, opening her eyes and looking up at Ezra.

"We need to talk."

Aria looked at him, concerned. "Okay, what's up?" she asked, sitting up.

Ezra took a deep breath, looking down at his hands. "I can't...I can't do this anymore." he mumbled.

"Ezra, I can't hear you." Aria said.

Ezra looked up at her, this time speaking clearly. "I can't do this anymore."

Aria stared blankly at him for a moment, before her expression became shocked, then confused. "W-What do you mean?" she stuttered.

"I can't be with you anymore." Ezra said, trying to hold himself together as tears began to spill over Aria's cheeks.

"Why not?" she choked out.

"It's...It's too hard. Aria, I love you, and I always will, but I can't do this. I mean, you have a child and I know that I said I was okay with this, every time I see Isabel, I always think of how she's not really mine and it's driving me insane!" Ezra said. He wasn't exactly lying, he was still upset that Aria had a child that wasn't also his, even though he knew it wasn't her fault. He still loved Isabel very much, as he would his own daughter, but there was no escaping that fact.

"Ezra, I can't get rid of Isabel, nor would I even if I could. I know she wasn't created on purpose, but she's still mine and I love her." Aria said, trying to wipe her tears, but more continued to flow.

"I know. It's not your fault. And she's an amazing baby, but she's still not mine and I can't pretend that she is. I'm sorry Aria." Ezra said, getting up from the grass.

"Where are you going?" Aria asked, sobbing.

"I'm taking you home." Ezra said, offering her his hand.

Aria shook her head, shrinking away from him. "I don't want to go with you."

"Aria, your house is at least a forty minute walk from here, and it's really hot today." Ezra reasoned.

Aria shook her head again. "I'll call one of the girls to pick me up."

"Aria..."

"Just go!" she yelled. "Leave me alone!"

"Aria please."

"No! Just leave." she said, hurling her cup of coffee at him. The brown liquid exploded all over Ezra's shirt, and he stood there, stunned as Aria ran away, sobbing.

Ezra had to fight the urge to run after her and hug her and apologize for everything he'd just said. He wanted to fix this, but he knew that he couldn't, not if he wanted Aria to be safe. He slowly walked to his car, not sure he could really do anything. As soon as he sat down, his eyes landed on a white iPhone with a leopard-print case sitting on the passenger seat. Aria's phone must have fallen from her pocket when she'd gotten out of the car.

Ezra pondered over whether he should go find Aria and give her phone back, but then thought better of it, knowing that she didn't want to see him at that moment. Instead, he called Spencer.

"Hey Ar, what's up?" Spencer said on the third ring.

"Hey Spencer, it's Ezra."

"Oh, hi Ezra. What's up?"

"I need a favour...I need you to come to the park on 5th avenue and find Aria. It's a really complicated story but she's upset and she needs you right now."

"Ezra, what's going on?" Spencer asked, worriedly.

"I can't explain right now. But hurry." Ezra said.

"Okay, I'm on my way." Spencer replied, hanging up.

Ezra sat in his car and waited, not wanting to leave until Spencer arrived. When he saw her car pulling up, he stepped out of his own and waved at her. Spencer parked in the spot next to Ezra's and got out.

"What happened?" Spencer asked frantically.

"Aria ran somewhere that way." Ezra said, pointing to the left. He held out her phone. "Could you give this to her?"

"Ezra, what's going on?" Spencer asked again.

Ezra hesitated. "I broke up with her."

"You did WHAT?!" Spencer said angrily. A second later, Ezra reeled as pain spread through his cheek. He looked up, stunned that Spencer had slapped him.

"Ow!" he said, holding his cheek.

"How could you?! Do you have ANY idea how much she loves you?!" Spencer yelled.

Ezra looked down at his shoes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I had to!" Ezra said. "I need her to be safe." he blurted before he could stop himself.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You don't know what could have happened to her if I stayed with her. By being with me, she's in danger."

"What kind of danger?" Spencer asked. "Who's trying to hurt her?"  
"I can't explain right now. Just please don't tell Aria about what I said. I need her to be safe and I need her to think that I broke up with her because of Isabel or else she won't back down. Can you please just keep quiet?" Ezra pleaded.

Spencer hesitated. "Ezra, she's my best friend-"  
"Which is why you shouldn't tell her. As her best friend, you should be worried about her safety." Ezra countered.

Spencer was silent for a moment before she sighed. "Okay, fine. I won't say anything."

"Thank you." Ezra said relieved. "Could you please go to her now? She's really upset."

"I'll bet." Spencer said. She held out her hand for Aria's phone, which Ezra gave her before she ran off in the direction Ezra had pointed to earlier.

When she had disappeared from his view, Ezra sat down in his car and drove towards his apartment. He really needed a drink.


	18. Chapter 18

Aria was lying in her bed, crying, as Isabel lay asleep in her arms when she heard a knock at the door. "Go away." she said.

"Aria, it's me." called her mother's voice from outside the door.

"I'm busy." Aria called back.

"Sweetie, you have to get out of your bed eventually." Ella reasoned through the door.

"No I don't." Aria replied.

"At least eat something. You have to stay healthy, if not for yourself, then for Isabelle's sake!" Ella said, opening the door.

"Mom, go away." Aria said, glaring at her mother.

"No." Ella replied, carrying a tray of food inside, which she set in front of her daughter. "Eat."

"I'm not hungry." Aria said.

"Aria, you need to eat something. I get that you're upset about Ezra, but starving yourself isn't going to fix anything." Ella replied. She pushed a strand of hair out of her daughter's face. "Sweetie, I'm worried about you. Your friends are worried about you, they've been coming by every day asking about you."

"They don't have to, I'm fine." Aria replied.

Ella stared at her pointedly.

"I am!" Aria said angrily. "I don't need Ezra. I'm fine without him." Aria said, and, at that moment, she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince her mother or herself.

"Baby, I'm your mom, you can't hide these things from me. I know how you feel right now, the pain, the loneliness, all of it." Ella sympathized, putting her hand gently on her daughter's arm.

Aria stared down at Isabelle, trying to avoid her mother's gaze as tears welled into her eyes. She stood up and put Isabel in her crib, standing in front of it for a few moments, trying not to let her mother see her tears. Ella saw her shoulders sagging and she could tell that her daughter was about to break down. She stood and walked over to Aria, wrapping her arms around her baby girl and Aria collapsed into her embrace.

"Momma, I miss him." she wailed. "Why would he leave me like that? I don't get it? It was just so sudden and unexpected and...it just doesn't seem like the kind of thing Ezra would do. He was always there for me no matter what, through everything and I don't understand. I mean, I know that taking on the responsibility of caring for a child is a lot, but Ezra was willing to take on the role as Malcolm's father and he loves it."

"But Malcolm's actually his sweetie. Although you may not see it right now, there's a huge difference between caring for Malcolm and caring for Isabel."

"But there has to be something else!" Aria said desperately. "Something that's getting in the way. Mom, I know him, he's not that kind of guy!"

Ella's wanted so badly to tell Aria what was really going on, that she was completely right, that Ezra was not the kind of man who would leave Aria to care for Isabel on her own unless something, or in this case someone, was standing in his way. But she held back, knowing that it was for the safety of her daughter. "Aria, baby, you promised him that, if he didn't want to take on the responsibility of caring for Isabel, that you wouldn't hold it against him. Do you remember that?"

Aria paused before reluctantly nodding.

"So you can't do this. I understand that you're hurting right now, but you need to get it together for the sake of your daughter. That little girl right there "Ella pointed to the crib "she needs you right now, more than anyone in the world. So, for her sake, please just try to be strong. Can you do that for your baby girl?"

Aria nodded, wiping her tears.

"That's my girl." Ella said, rubbing Aria's back. "Now come on, you need to eat."

Aria sat up and slowly picked up her fork and scooped some lasagne onto it before putting it into her mouth. "Thanks mom." she managed.

"Anytime baby." Ella replied.

The two women sat in silence for the rest of the meal, just sitting there together.  
******************

"WAAAAH!"

Aria groaned as she was awoken by the sound of Isabel's shrill cries. It had been hard enough getting to sleep because she was so used to Ezra's arms around her that she just felt empty whenever she crawled into her bed alone. She looked at the clock, which read 3:00 and she groaned again. As she sat up and rubbed her eyes, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." she said.

Mike's head popped in from the doorway. "Go back to sleep, I got her." he said, going over to the crib and picking up his niece, rocking her slowly.

Aria stood up. "No, it's fine. Sorry if she woke you up."

"No, it's fine. I was finishing up an essay anyway. I need the break." Mike replied, rubbing circles on Isabel's back as she quieted down.

"Let me guess, you had two weeks to write it and you started today?" Aria asked.

Mike smiled sheepishly. "You know me too well."

"Trust me, I've done it enough times. What are you writing about?"

"We have to discuss a theme from To Kill A Mockingbird. I chose racism in the 1930s." Mike replied.

"Want some help?" Aria asked.

Mike looked at her, surprised. "You know it's 3am, right?"

Aria nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to get back to sleep anyway. How about you bring your laptop downstairs and I'll make some coffee and we can work on it together?"

Mike smiled. "Sounds good." He put a sleeping Isabel back in her crib before he went back to his room to get his laptop. Aria went downstairs and started the coffeemaker, pulling out two mugs and putting the appropriate amounts of cream and sugar in each mug. She heard Mike tiptoe down the stairs as she did so and by the time she walked into the den with the steaming mugs, Mike was all set up, sitting comfortably on the couch with his feet propped on the table, laptop in his lap. Aria sat down next to him and read what he'd had so far.

"Okay, so it looks like you've got a lot done. I see you mentioned the whole court case with Tom Robinson and the Ewells'. You could also mention the Montgomery bus boycott, I believe that was around that time period..." Aria began listing several different examples from both the text and real life that were part of racism during that time period. Mike typed as fast as he could, stopping occasionally to gather his thoughts or ask about the wording for one of his sentences. The two finished writing and editing by about 5:00.

"Wow, I think this is the best essay I've ever written!" Mike exclaimed as he saved it. "Now I just have to remember to print it before class. Thanks Ar!"

"No problem." Aria replied, ruffling her brother's hair.

"Aria?"

"Yeah?"

Mike hesitated. "How are you holding up?"

Aria sighed and shrugged. "One day at a time I guess. I mean, I love Isabel, she means the world to me and I wouldn't give her up for anything. But I really just wish that life weren't this complicated, you know?"

Mike nodded. "I guess. But no matter what, just remember that we're here for you, okay? If you need time to yourself just say the word and I'll be more than happy to watch Izzy. Or if you need someone to run an errand for you, or even just someone to talk to, I've got your back, okay?"

Aria smiled appreciatively at her brother and she felt tears form in her eyes once again. "Thanks Mike." she said, hugging him."You're a good brother."

*************************

Ezra was on his third glass of scotch, trying to drown his sorrows in the alcohol. He longed to have Aria's small arms around his neck, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against him, to hear her soft snores as she slept peacefully in his arms. He hated that he couldn't be with her, especially knowing that it was none other than his mother that was keeping them apart. Why was she always meddling into his life? He had moved out to prevent just that, yet she always managed to track him down, going so far as to having Aria checked out too. The woman was crazy and he needed to put a stop to her antics once and for all!

Ezra picked up his car keys and headed for the door, intending to drive to New York right then and there. As he staggered to the door, he tripped and fell flat on his face, which made him realize that he was in no condition to be driving. He cursed, feeling stupid for drinking so much before an idea came to him. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" came a groggy voice after several rings.

"Hardy? It's me. I need a favour." Ezra slurred.

"Dude, it's 3am! Go to sleep!" Hardy said, annoyed.

"Hardy, I need you to pick me to New York." Ezra said impatiently.

"Dude, you're nuts." Hardy replied. "What's so important in New York, and why do you need me to drive you?"

"I can't drive, I've had like three glasses of scotch. And I need to go right now Hardy, I need to see my mother and make sure she stays the hell away from Aria."

"Ez, what are you talking about?"

Ezra explained the story of what happened in the hospital with Dianne and Jake. When he was finished, Hardy was silent for a moment before uttering the word "Damn."

"Yeah. So can you take me?"

"Pack some clothes I'll be there in twenty minutes." Hardy said before hanging up.


	19. Chapter 19

"Are we almost there?" Ezra asked for the fourth time in ten minutes.

Hardy sighed, annoyed. "Ez, you're my best friend but if you ask me again, I'm going to turn this car around and go right back to Rosewood."

"I'm sorry, I just really need to fix this." Ezra said. He had called Ella to find out how Aria was and the older woman had burst into tears as she'd explained how awful of a state her daughter was in. Ezra had wanted to tell Hardy to turn around right then and take him straight to Aria so he could hold her in his arms, wipe her tears, and promise to never leave her again, but he knew he had to deal with his mother first.

"Ezra?"

"Huh?" Ezra asked, breaking out of his thoughts.

"What are you going to say to your mom when you get there?" his best friend asked.

Truth be told, Ezra hadn't really thought about that. He'd been so focused on getting to New York that he hadn't thought about what he'd do when he actually came face to face with his mother.

"I don't know." he finally admitted.

Hardy looked at his friend incredulously. "Seriously? Dude, you have three hours to come up with a kick-ass speech to make your cold-hearted bitch of a mother see that you're not afraid of her. Get thinking!"

Ezra nodded. He rummaged through his pocket for a pen and grabbed some paper from the glove compartment and began jotting down points. He let his author mind take over, letting thoughts flow through his mind, occasionally looking out the window for inspiration before scrawling more words onto the paper. Two hours later, he put his pen back in his pocket as Hardy pulled over at a McDonald's for breakfast.

***********

Aria awoke in the morning to sunlight streaming through her window. This was the first time since Isabel was born that Aria had woken up to silence. She sat up in bed and stretched before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

"Aria you will have a good day even if it kills you." she said to her reflection in the mirror. Her mother was right. Although it was killing her to know that Ezra didn't want to be with her, Aria had to be strong for Isabel's sake. Her daughter needed her and she was not going to let her down. So Aria took a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face and exited the bathroom. She headed downstairs after checking to make sure that Isabel was still asleep and was greeted the smell of pancakes and her smiling parents.

"Good morning" Byron said, placing a kiss on his daughter's forehead.

"Morning." Aria replied, taking a pancake off of the stack by the stove, where Ella was frying them. She was just about to pop a piece into her mouth when Isabel started crying.

"I'll get her." Ella said, handing the spatula to Byron.

Aria thanked her mother and shoveled the pancakes into her mouth. Once she finished, she went upstairs and found Ella changing Isabel's diaper.

"Thanks mom." Aria said, going over to the dresser and picking out an outfit for her daughter. Aria changed Isabel's clothes and packed her baby bag.

"Going out?" Ella asked.

"Shopping. Izzy needs more diapers and baby food and I could really use some fresh air." Aria replied, heading downstairs. She yelled a quick goodbye to her father and headed out the door.

************

Once Aria arrived at her destination, she unbuckled Isabel from her booster seat and went inside. As she browsed through the aisles for baby food, Aria walked headfirst into a muscular chest.

"Sorry." she mumbled, trying to regain her balance. She managed to stay standing but when she saw who she'd bumped into, she almost fainted.

"J-Jake." she stuttered.

Jake glared at her but when he saw the baby in the cart behind her, his expression softened a little.

"That's her?" he asked, taking a step towards Isabel.

Aria stepped in his way, blocking him from their daughter.

"Don't touch her." she said, her motherly instinct masking her fear.

Jake pushed her back and Aria stumbled but she stood her ground. He was not going to get anywhere near Izzy if she had anything to do with it.

"Back off or else." Aria warned quietly.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Jake said incredulously.

"No, I don't. But I'm pretty sure if I started yelling that you were hurting me, people would come to see what was going on and they wouldn't hesitate to kick your ass." Aria said, gaining some confidence.

Jake watched her, trying to see how serious she was. When she didn't look away, he stepped back. "You're lucky this time." he said quietly, so only she could hear him.

Aria watched him walk away, shocked that she had just won. She had stood up to the person that had ruined her life.

************

"Okay, here it is." Hardy said pulling up in front of the Fitzgerald residence. It was a huge red-brick house with a ginormous garden, a pool and two tennis courts in the backyard.

Ezra looked uneasily at his childhood home. Now that he was here, he felt no more prepared than when he'd left. The whole time he'd been writing, he hadn't come up with a thing that he'd say to his mother when he finally saw her so now he was standing in front of her house, completely unprepared.

"Ezra, you can do this." Hardy encouraged his best friend, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "She can't keep controlling you forever, and you need to fight for your love."

Ezra looked at Hardy with a look of determination. "You're absolutely right!" he said, getting out of the car. He turned back to his friend before going. You're really the best friend a guy could have, you know that?"

Hardy smiled. "I know. Listen, I'm going to go and grab our dinner and then I'll be out here until you're done okay?"

Ezra nodded. "Thanks man."

"Good luck!" Hardy called as he drove away.

"I'll need it." Ezra muttered as he slowly ascended the porch steps, bracing himself for his task.

He climbed the steps and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. Almost immediately a butler came out and, upon seeing the elder Fitz son, he smiled.

"Mr. Fitzgerald. What a pleasant surprise."

"It's Fitz now, but it's good to see you David. How have you been?" Ezra said smiling back. David had been his favourite butler, the only one that seemed to understand Ezra's dream of becoming an author. All the others had taken his mother's side and mocked him, telling him he ought to be a lawyer or a doctor.

"Same old." David replied. "What brings you here, it's been years."

"I have some unfinished business with my mother to take care of." Ezra said, a glint of anger in his eyes.

"Is everything alright?" David asked carefully.

"It will be." Ezra replied, stepping past David and heading upstairs to find his mother.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been such a bum. I'm posting 2 chapters to make up for the fact that I haven't posted in awhile. Happy reading!

Ezra found his mother standing in her ginormous closet with a young woman whom Ezra assumed to be her fashion adviser. He cleared his throat and both women turned around, surprised.

"Ezra!" Diane said, surprised. She turned to the younger woman. "You're dismissed, I'll call you back when I'm ready for you." The woman walked away, nervously smiling at Ezra on her way out. He nodded in greeting and waited until the door was shut before turning back to his mother.

"What bring you here?" Dianne asked pleasantly.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you ruined my girlfriend's life? You know, hiring someone to rape and abuse her? Does that ring any bells?" Ezra said angrily.

"So you're here to what? Give me a lecture? Tell me that what I did was wrong? Oh, I suppose I'm going to get a time-out too?" Dianne said sarcastically.

Ezra's face turned red as he struggled to keep himself from calm. He needed to keep a level-head if he wanted to accomplish what he'd come here for. "Why do you hate Aria so much?"

Dianne's stared at him as though he were the stupidest person in the word. "Seriously?! Ezra, you're my son and I'm not going to stand by and watch that little girl ruin your life!"

"She's not some little girl! Aria's an adult, and so am I, which means I can make my own decisions!" Ezra said.

"But you're clearly not making the right decisions." Dianne replied evenly.

"That's where you're wrong. See, the thing is, you and I have different views on what's right and wrong-"

"Clearly." Dianne muttered.

Ezra glared at her before continuing. "I'm a grown man and I love Aria. She's the one that makes me happy. No relationship is simple and, although my relationship with Aria is more complicated than most, we're both happy with it and we make it work."

"And how do you know that she really loves you? What if she was just using you while you were her teacher? Has that ever occurred to you?" Dianne asked.

"Seriously?" Ezra said incredulously. "First of all, you think that I would grade her any differently in class than I would the rest of my student? Surely you know me better than that!"

"Clearly I don't, because the Ezra that I know wouldn't become involved with a student!" Dianne countered.

"She wasn't my student when we met. And we tried to stay away from each other but we couldn't! We love each other!" Ezra stressed, trying to make her understand.

"Oh really? Then tell me Ezra, why isn't she here with you right now? Why are you the only one fighting for your relationship?"

"Because she doesn't know that I'm here! She doesn't even know that you're a part of this whole screwed up situation!" Ezra yelled. "Because of you I had to lie to the person that I love more than anything! And you know what, I'm sick and tired of you coming into my life and screwing up every good thing that happens to me! Just stay the hell away from me and stay the hell away from Aria! If you ever do so much as look at her, I will personally come over here and you don't even want to know what I'll do to you."

By the time he finished, Ezra was breathing very deeply, trying to gain some control on his emotions. Dianne was staring at him, stunned.

"You are not the son that I raised. I raised you to be obedient and to never talk to me that way. You don't want me interfering in your life, I won't, but just know that you will regret ever kicking me out of your life. You're going to ruin your life and, when you do, the only thing I'm going to do is look you in the eyes and say 'I told you so.'" With that, Dianne turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Ezra standing in her closet alone.

*********

"How did it go?" Hardy asked once Ezra was seated in the car. He handed him a take-out bag as the smell of burgers wafted through the car.

"I think it went well." Ezra said.

"You think?" Hardy asked, staring at his friend.

Ezra nodded. "She said she'll stay out of my life. But she means permanently."

"That's rough." Hardy said, patting his friend's arm. "Are you going to try and fix things with her?"

Ezra paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Honestly, I think I'm better off without her. All she's ever really done is ruin things, maybe now I can finally get my life on track."

"That's good, I guess. At least you can get your girl back." Hardy said.

Ezra smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait until I can finally see her again!"

Hardy pulled over. "Wait, you're driving. I'm not going to sit here and have you repeatedly ask me how much longer it's going to take."

Ezra laughed as he got out of the car and switched sides with his friend. "I don't care who's driving, as long as I get to see Aria soon."


	21. Chapter 21

Ding dong

"I'll get it!" Aria called before realizing she was the only one home. Well, apart from Izzy, but she was pretty sure that she couldn't answer the door, unless she'd somehow learned to walk at two months old. Rolling her eyes at herself, Aria went downstairs and opened the door, her eyes widening.

"What are you doing here?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared into the baby blue eyes that she knew so well.

"Um, Can I talk to you?" Ezra said.

Aria hesitated before she stepped aside and let him in. Ezra stepped inside just as Isabel started crying again.

"I'll be right back." Aria said, running up the stairs. She came back a few minutes later holding Isabel, who was staring at Ezra. Ezra smiled at the baby and held his arms out to her but Aria stepped back.

"Why are you here Ezra?" she asked.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Aria, I came here to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like that, I just, I needed to-"

"Ezra, stop."

Ezra looked up, surprised.

"I can't...Ezra, when you left I was a mess, I wasn't eating, I barely left my bed. And I can't afford to do that ever again. I have a child now, a child that needs her mother to be strong for her. We're a package deal. You want me, you get Izzy too. And you can't say you want us and then decide later that you can't handle it because if you do that, I know I won't be able to handle it. So, for everyone's sake, I need you to figure out if this, us, is what you want." Aria finished, holding Isabel against her protectively.

"Aria, I do know what I want. I want both of you, No, I need both of you. " Ezra said, putting his hands on her arms.

"Ezra, how do I know that you're not going to leave again? I love you, you know I do, but I can't just think about myself and what I want. I need to think about Isabel too, and I need to be there for her no matter what, not lying in my bed crying if you decide that you can't handle this. Being a parent is a huge responsibility, and I need to know that you're one hundred percent into this before I let you back into our lives." Aria said, gently taking his hands off her arms and watching as they dropped limply back to his side.

"Aria, there's something I need you to know." Ezra said, looking into her eyes. He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch and, after a moment, she did.

"Aria, I didn't leave because of Isabel. I left because you were in danger." Ezra said.

"What do you mean? In danger from what?" Aria asked, her hands starting to shake. Ezra held his arms out for Isabel and Aria obliged, afraid that she might drop her. Isabel went willingly into Ezra's arms and snuggled into his shoulder. If she wasn't so confused and worried, Aria would have thought it was adorable.

"Aria, my mother was trying to hurt you. She's the one that hired Jake to..." Ezra stopped, but Aria knew what he was going to say. Dianne had hired Jake to rape her.

"But how did...what...but he..." Aria's thoughts were all jumbled up. It just didn't make sense to her.

"She knew when we broke up and she hired Jake to try to make you forget about me. Then she got carried away and paid him to hurt you. I found out after Isabel was born while we were still in the hospital."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Aria asked, angrily. He had known for a month and he hadn't said anything! Why would he keep this from her?!

"Because I couldn't!" Ezra exclaimed. "If I told you the real reason why we couldn't be together, you would have fought for us. I know you would have. And I can't risk you putting yourself in danger, not while you have Isabelle. Your safety is my priority and I had to make sure that if I was with you, I wasn't putting you in danger."

"So how do you know I'm not in danger now?" Aria asked.

"Because I went to New York and I talked to my mother. She's not going to be a problem anymore." Ezra said.

"And you know that for sure?" Aria asked skeptically.

Ezra nodded. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure."

"And what about Jake?" Aria asked.

"He shouldn't be bothering us either, and if he does, I'll take care of him." Ezra promised.

Aria looked at him for a moment before sighing. "Ezra, are you sure you can handle this? Like I said, parenting is a huge responsibility."

Ezra nodded and looked down at Isabel. "I would do anything for this little girl." Then he looked back up at Aria and looked straight into her hazel eyes. "And I would give my life for her mother."

Aria stared back into his eyes as they slowly inched closer. Their lips met and they both felt the spark that ignited deep inside of them whenever they kissed. With his arm that wasn't cradling Isabel, Ezra pulled Aria closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangled in his hair as they deepened the kiss, holding onto each other as though their lives depended on it. All of the sadness and anger that had been building up inside of them throughout their month apart was finally released in that moment as they were finally happy, together.


	22. Chapter 22

"Morning mom." Mike said, yawning as he entered the kitchen and stuck his head into the fridge in search of food.

"Morning sweetie." Ella replied, barely looking up from her newspaper.

"Morning mom." Aria said, coming into the kitchen and reaching above Mike's head for a yogourt.

"Morning honey." Ella said, continuing to read her newspaper article.

"Morning Ella." Ezra said, walking into the kitchen and taking an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Morning Ezra." Ella said, and then lifted her head up confused. "Ezra?"

"Oh yeah, he stayed over last night." Aria said, handing Ezra a mug filled with coffee.

Mike snickered at his sister's bluntness as he left to get ready for school.

"Wait, how-I thought you-Did I miss something?" Ella finally managed.

"Um, yeah, sorry I forgot to update you. I went up to New York to see my mother and she's going to back off so I came back and told Aria what happened and..." Ezra shrugged, as if to say "here we are."

"Wait a second..." Aria said, confused. "You knew?" she asked her mother, accusingly.

Ezra and Ella's faces went pale as they realized their mistake.

"Um, well..." Ella started. "I may have known a bit..."

"A bit?" Aria asked, narrowing her eyes.

Ella sighed. "Okay, I knew."

"Mom! How could you keep that from me?!" Aria shrieked.

"I wanted to tell you sweetie but I couldn't, I promised Ezra I wouldn't say anything! I'm your mother, I need to make sure my baby's safe!" Ella defended herself.

"It's true." Ezra jumped in. "She wanted to tell you but I made her keep quiet. But, if it helps, she slapped my mom when she heard what she did to you."

Aria's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "You did?!"

Ella hid her own smile. "Nobody messes with my babies."

Aria hugged her mother. "Wow, I can't even picture that..."

"It was pretty epic..." Ezra said.

Aria laughed. "Ladies and gentle, I present to you, the world's best son!"

Ezra shrugged and wrapped an arm around her waist. "She's not exactly the best mother out there either."

"Valid point." Aria agreed, taking his hand. "Come on, I'm going to be late for school."

"Let's go." Ezra said, waving to Ella as the couple exited.

************

"Hey Aria! Wanna get a mani pedi after school?" Hanna said, stopping in front of Aria's locker.

"Sure Han! I could use a day off!" Aria said, smiling at her friend.

"How's Izzy?"

"She's good. She doesn't wake me up ten times a night anymore, thank God! She only cried twice last night!" Aria exclaimed happily.

"That's awesome! Hey, I have to get to Spanish, meet at my locker after school?" Hanna asked.

"Sure, I'll see you then." Aria said, heading off to her History class.

***********

"Ready to go?" Aria asked as she approached Hanna's locker.

"Yup, let's go!" Hanna replied, shutting her locker door and looping her arm through her best friend's. The pair headed off to the mall, where they got their nails done and then walked around, going in and out of stores. The two girls went to a small boutique and started trying on dresses, talking and laughing at some of their questionable choices. Aria bought a navy blue strapless dress with beads along the top. They were looking at a display of nail polish when Aria felt something collide into her and she fell to the ground. Looking up, she saw Jake standing in front of her, a smirk on his face.

"Where's my daughter?" he asked angrily.

"Screw you." she said, getting to her feet, but he just shoved her back down. He hadn't noticed Hanna was there until she grabbed his shoulder, spun him around and slapped him straight across the face.

"Get away from her!" she said, glaring at him.

"What the hell?!" he said, holding his cheek.

"Don't mess with my friends." she said, helping Aria up and then heading for the cash register.

"Hey, we're not done here." Jake yelled to Aria, who stopped for a second, but Hanna grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

"Hanna what the hell was that?!" Aria said, standing in front of the cash register. Jake was still watching them but he made no move to come after them.

"Aria, I wasn't going to stand there and let him hurt you!" Hanna exclaimed. "You're my best friend and I would never let anyone hurt you!"

Aria hugged her friend. "Han, I love you, but don't put yourself at risk for me. If he hurt you, I would never forgive myself."

Hanna hugged her back. "Don't worry, I'd kick his ass anyway."

Aria rolled her eyes and laughed as they headed out of the store. "Hey, is it okay if we call it a day? I don't want to be in the same building as Jake."

"Yeah, let's go home." Hanna said, leading her friend towards the parking lot. When they arrived at Hanna's car, they put their purchases in the backseat and then sat up front. However, for some reason, the car wouldn't start.

"Ugh, why does this have to happen to me?!" Hanna said, smacking her hands on the steering wheel.

"Don't worry, we can just get a ride. Ezra should be at home right now, I'll call him to pick us up." Aria said, already dialing the number. She waited as the phone rang and then he picked up on the third ring.

"Hey there, how's shopping with Hanna?" he asked.

"It was okay. Could you pick us up, Hanna's car won't start." Aria said.

"Sure. I'll be there in ten." Ezra replied.

"Thanks! Love you!" Aria said, and rolled her eyes as Hanna snickered.

"You too. See you soon." Ezra said, hanging up.

"Han, you're so immature." Aria said, slapping her friend's arm playfully.

"And that's why you love me." Hanna replied. "Here, let's see if we can figure out what's wrong with the car." she said, getting out. Aria got out too and the girls opened up the hood of the car.

"Do you know anything about cars?" Aria asked, staring at all the different parts with a blank expression on her face.

"Not a clue." Hanna replied, laughing.

"What's the matter, car won't start?" said a voice from behind them. Aria closed her eyes for a moment, knowing perfectly well who the owner of that voice was. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and faced Jake. He had something in his hand.

"Is that from my car?!" Hanna asked angrily.

Jake shrugged, smirking.

"You stupid piece of-" Hanna lunged for him, but Aria held her back.

"Hanna, no." she said, her grip firm on Hanna's arm. "I told you, he's not worth it."

"HE BROKE MY CAR!" Hanna shouted angrily, trying to wrestle her arm from Aria's grip but Aria held fast. She didn't want any more trouble than she'd already had and she just wanted to go home.

"Jake, just give us the part back." Aria said calmly.

"And if I don't?" Jake challenged.

"Give it back." Aria and Hanna whirled around to see Ezra standing a few feet away from them.

Jake looked over at him and smiled menacingly. "You want it, come and get it." he said, holding his hand out.

Ezra approached him slowly and reached out to take it from him. Jake took that opportunity to throw a punch at him, but Ezra had seen it coming and had blocked it easily, holding Jake's fist in his hand. Slowly, he twisted Jake's arm back.

"You're not the only one who knows self defense." Ezra said, snatching the car part out of Jake's hand.

"All I want is to see my freaking daughter!" Jake said angrily.

"You don't deserve to be a part of her life, not after everything you've done." Ezra said.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO STOP ME FROM SEEING HER! SHE'S NOT YOUR DAUGHTER, SHE'S MINE!" Jake yelled. At that moment, a shrill cry echoed through the parking lot. Everyone turned to where the sound was coming from, their eyes landing on Ezra's car.

"She's here?" Aria asked, her face turning white.

Ezra looked at her helplessly. Aria rushed towards the car, opening the door and crouching inside, trying to soothe Isabel.

Ezra watched Jake, trying to determine whether he'd try to run to Isabel or not. Jake appeared shocked at hearing the sound of his daughter's voice and his expression softened. If it were anyone else, Ezra would have felt bad for them, but he knew what Jake was capable of and he couldn't even begin to feel sorry for the man.

"Isabel." Jake whispered, as if trying the name out. His fist loosened and he seemed to slouch a little. Then, without warning, he shoved Ezra against a van and ran straight for Isabel, shoving Aria out of the car and yanking the crying baby out of her seat. Aria screamed and Hanna ran after him as he ran to his car with Isabel. Ezra jumped up after the initial shock of being shoved and ran after Hanna and Jake but it was too late. Jake was driving away from the mall parking lot with Isabel.

"Call the cops!" Ezra yelled to Hanna and she immediately did as she was told, pulling out her phone. Ezra ran to Aria who had gotten up and was now sobbing, leaning against the car for support.

"He took my baby!" she wailed and Ezra pulled her against him. Her nails dug into his back as she clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably in his chest, repeating Isabel's name.

"We'll get her back." Ezra promised. "I'll make sure of it."


	23. Chapter 23

"Can't this go any faster?!" Ezra asked, frustrated.

"I'm trying!" Caleb replied, typing on his computer."I get that you're freaking out, but rushing me isn't going to help, I need to focus!"

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't know what he's capable of and I just need Isabel back." Ezra said, holding back his tears. He couldn't cry, not with Aria in the next room, he needed to be strong for her.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll get her back." Emily said, coming into the room after overhearing the two men. She put a hand on Ezra's arm, trying to comfort him.

"I swear, the cops in this town are useless." Ezra said angrily. They had gone to the police station several times over the past two days but they had come up with nothing, so now they were hoping that Caleb could track Jake's phone.

"I could have told you that." Caleb replied.

Emily nodded in agreement. "The police here don't do anything right."

"How's Aria?" Caleb asked.

Emily sighed. "Bad. She won't stop crying. Spencer, Hanna and Mike are trying to make her eat something but she won't. Ezra, have you eaten anything?"

Ezra shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

"Starving yourself isn't going to help anything. If anything, you'll be able to think better if you eat something." Emily said.

Ezra shook his head again. "I'm fine."

Emily sighed. "Caleb, how's the phone tracking coming?"

Caleb shrugged. "It takes time, I haven't gotten any hits yet but, unless he knows a lot about technology, we'll find him soon. Hey, is Toby here yet?"

"Yeah, he's with Spencer." Emily replied.

"Can you tell him to come here, he's pretty good with this." Caleb said, gesturing towards the computer.

"I'll do it, I was going to go check on Aria anyway." Ezra said, leaving the room. He went into Aria's room where Hanna, Mike Spencer and Toby were trying to coax her into eating some pasta.

"Toby, Caleb wants you." Ezra said, and the four of them looked up.

"Thank God you're here!" Hanna said. "Make her eat." she said, gesturing to Aria.

"I told you, I'm not hungry." Aria replied. "Did Caleb find anything?" she asked Ezra.

Ezra shook his head sadly. "He said that he should have something soon, but nothing so far."

Aria's covered her face with her hands as a fresh set of tears fell from her eyes. Ezra sat down next to her and pulled her against his chest.

"My poor baby. Who knows what he's doing to her, if he's even fed her or changed her." Aria sobbed into his chest.

Ezra stroked her hair. "Shh, we'll get her back, I promise. Nothing's going to happen to her."

"How do you know that?" Aria said. "For all we know he could be hurting her!"

"If he hurts a single hair on her head, I'll kill him." Ezra said.

Aria was about to respond when Caleb burst into the room with Toby right behind him. Caleb thrust the laptop at Ezra and Aria with a huge smile on his face. "We found him!"

************

"How much longer?!" Aria asked for the twenty-seventh time.

"I don't know hun, but we'll be there soon." Ezra replied. They were driving along an road that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Caleb's car was right in front of there's and they had been following him for about an hour.

Aria texted Hanna, who was in Caleb's car with him and Emily.

"How much longer?"

Hanna replied almost instantly with "almost there, about 15 more minutes."

"We're almost there." Aria said.

Ezra squeezed her hand over the console. "We're going to get our baby back."

About ten minutes later, Caleb pulled over. Getting out of their cars, they all circled around him as he stared at his laptop.

"Why are we stopping in the middle of nowhere?" Aria asked impatiently.

"Hang on." Caleb said, typing something. A moment later, he gestured for them all to look at his screen, where he'd opened up a map. "Okay, so we're right here." he said, pointing to a place on the screen. "...and Jake is supposedly here." he said, pointing to an area that was a little further ahead. "So, I was thinking that he'd probably hear if we all pulled up in our cars. I'm thinking we should walk the rest of the way, it's only about ten minutes."

"Let's go." Ezra said, hurrying forward.

"Hold on." Caleb said patiently. "We need to discuss how exactly this is going to go down."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

"Well, he's not just going to hand Isabel over, we need some sort of plan. Plus, I don't think it would be smart for seven of us to just burst into their." Caleb explained reasonable.

"He's got a point." Spencer said.

"Okay, so what do you propose we do?" Hanna asked.

"Well, I was thinking that, since Aria and Ezra know Jake better than we do, I think they should be the ones that come in direct contact with him." Caleb said, turning to the two of them.

They both nodded.

"What about the rest of us?" Emily asked.

"We could spread out around the house in case Jake tries to make a getaway?" Spencer proposed.

"Good idea" Caleb agreed. "Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Great! Now everyone make sure your phones are on silent and that you have them in case we need to contact one another." Caleb said and everyone fiddled with their phones.

"Okay, let's go get Izzy back!" Caleb said, and they all started walking in the direction that Caleb guided them.

***********

"Are you ready?" Ezra asked quietly in Aria's ear.

Aria took a deep breath and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey, don't worry. We're going to get Isabel back and she's going to be fine, okay?" Ezra said, pulling Aria against his chest. Aria hugged him back, a sudden sense of calmness overcoming her.

"Thank you. I really needed that." she said.

Ezra kissed her forehead in response.

"Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't care what any stupid DNA tests say, you're Isabel's true father." Aria said, looking into his eyes.

Ezra smiled. "Let's go get our daughter back."

Taking her hand, Ezra lead Aria quietly up the porch steps. On the second step, she stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Does this place seem...familiar to you?" Aria asked, staring up at the house.

Ezra shook his head. "No, why?"

"I- I don't know, I feel like I've been here before..." Aria said. "You know what, never mind, maybe I'm just mistaking it for somewhere else."

Ezra shrugged. "Okay." They went up the last step and Ezra looked through the front window, trying to see if he Jake or Isabel were there but the blinds were closed. Ezra tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.

"Wait here for a sec." Ezra whispered. "I'm going to see if I can spot them."

Aria nodded and Ezra slowly stepped inside, careful to be absolutely silent. He looked around but didn't see anything so he beckoned Aria inside. She looked at him questioningly and he shook his head, stating that he couldn't see anyone. She pointed towards the kitchen and then towards the stairs, silently asking him which he would prefer to check. Ezra pointed to the stairs and slowly headed up while Aria tiptoed into the kitchen.

As she entered the kitchen, Aria again felt like there was something familiar about this place, but she couldn't figure out if and when she'd been here before. Stepping inside, she looked around, searching for anything that might help her remember how she knew this place. She stepped into the next room, knowing that it would be the family room. She looked around and saw a baby bottle on the table.

"Isabel." she whispered, picking it up. She looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything else, but she couldn't see anything. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Ezra.

This is the right place, I found her bottle in the family room. Everything okay upstairs?

Ezra replied a moment later.

There's nothing here, I'm coming back down.

Aria waited for Ezra to join her in the family room when she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. Turning, she noticed some photos hanging from the wall. Stepping closer to them, she used the sleeve of her sweater to brush away some dust that had gathered over the pictures. She gasped when she saw the familiar face of her late best friend, Alison Dilaurentis, smiling back at her.

With a jolt, Aria realized that she had been here before, about six years ago. Ali's family used to come up here sometimes during the summer to get away from the hustle and bustle of Rosewood and spend time together as a family. One year, Alison had invited Aria along for a few days. That's why she was the only one who recognized this place, none of the other girls nor their boyfriends had ever been here before.

"Aria?"

Startled, Aria jumped back at the sound of her name. When she turned around, she was relieved to find that it was just Ezra.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he said. "There's nothing upstairs."

Aria held up Izzy's bottle "I found this. And I realized why I know this place. I've been here before, with Alison and her family."

"You have?" Ezra said, surprised.

"Yeah. And if I remember correctly, the basement is to the left of the stairs, which I'm guessing is where Jake and Isabel are." Aria said, going out into the hall. She slowly crept towards the basement door and opened the door. The lights were on, and she could hear rustling around.

"I think he's down there." she whispered.

Ezra followed closely behind her and they made their way quietly down the stairs. Aria leaned forward and saw a figure standing a few feet away with their back turned. She scanned the room and her eyes fell upon a blanket. Looking closer, she saw Isabel's head poking out of the top, her eyes open, staring at her mother. Subconsciously, Aria reached for Ezra's hand and squeezed it, not taking her eyes away from her baby girl. She descended the rest of the steps.

"Jake."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So this is the last chapter of My Saviour. Thank you for all the nice comment anf the kudos, I really appreciate the support. :)

Jake whirled around at the sound of his name and his eyes fell upon Aria.

"H-How did you find me?" he stuttered.

Aria didn't respond, instead, she went right up to him and slapped him across the face.

"How dare you! Do you have any idea what you put us through?! I swear, if there's anything wrong with her, I will-"

"She's fine." Jake cut her off. "I wouldn't hurt my own kid."

"She's not your kid. You're not fit to be a father." Aria spat. She rushed over to Isabel and picked her up, hugging her tight.

"Screw you." Jake replied angrily. "Do you see anything wrong with her? No, because I can take care of my own kid."

"Yeah, you're father of the year." Aria replied sarcastically, looking over every inch of Isabel's skin for cuts or bruises. When she was satisfied that Izzy's was completely fine, Aria hugged her again, holding her tight.

"You know, none of this would have happened if you had just let me see her." Jake said.

"No, none of this would have happened if you hadn't done the things you did to me." Aria shot back.

"Bitch." Jake said, raising his arm to slap her.

Everything was a blur as Ezra moved from his spot by the stairs and lunged for Jake, who hadn't even registered the other man's presence. Within a few seconds, Jake was sprawled on the floor with Ezra sitting on him, throwing punches back and forth.

"Ezra, stop." Aria cried. "He's not worth it."

"Oh, he's definitely worth this." Ezra said, punching a bloody Jake in the stomach.

"Ezra please! You're going to kill him!" Aria sobbed, grabbing his arm. Ezra hesitated before punching him one last time. They all heard a crack as Ezra's fist collided with Jake's nose and then Ezra stood up and stood next to Aria and Isabel.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let him get away with all this." Ezra said, breathing hard.

Aria was shaken, trying to control her sobs. "I-I think we should c-call an ambulance."

Ezra looked like he wanted to argue but he took another look at Jake and agreed. "Okay." He said, pulling out his phone.

Aria texted her friends to come to the basement.

"Oh my God!" Emily said, seeing Jake's bloody face.

"What happened?!" Mike asked.

"He had it coming." Ezra muttered.

"Jake t-tried to hit me and Ezra protected me." Aria said, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Ezra wrapped his arm around her waist and she buried her face in his chest, trying to stop crying.

"Shh, it's okay." Ezra whispered, trying to soothe her.

In the distance, they all heard the wailing of sirens as the ambulance came closer to the house.

"I'l go let them in." Mike said quietly, going up the stairs. A few moments later, he came back downstairs, closely followed by a group of paramedics and police officers. As they swarmed the basement, the group went upstairs where they were questioned by police officers about the events of that day. When they were finished, they were allowed to leave and they all agreed to meet back at the Montgomery house.

************

Everyone except for Spencer and Toby had arrived at the Montgomery house and they all sat in the living room as they waited for the couple. Isabel lay in Aria's arms, drinking from her bottle.

"She looks so peaceful." Emily said, watching Isabel's eyes start to close as she drifted off to sleep.

Aria smiled. "She really does. I'm going to go put her to bed." she said, getting up. She took Isabel upstairs and placed her in her crib before bending down to place a kiss on her forehead. She watched as Isabel cuddled up to her stuffed animals and fell asleep. As she watched her baby sleep, Aria felt a presence behind her. Turning her head, she looked into the deep blue eyes of her love. Ezra placed a kiss on her forehead before he looked down at Isabel's sleeping form.

"She's beautiful." Ezra whispered.

Aria nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Ezra asked, wiping the tears from her face with his thumbs.

"I-I'm just so glad that we have her back. When Jake took her, I couldn't stop thinking that I might never see her again and..." Aria broke down, sobbing into Ezra's strong chest and he immediately wrapped his arms around her.

"Shhh, it's okay." Ezra whispered into her ear. "We have her now and we're not going to let anything happen to her."

Aria continued to cry, just letting all the frustration and fear out of her system and Ezra held her, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words to her. When her sobs had been reduced to hiccups, Aria had felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she smiled up at Ezra. "Thank you."

"For what?" Ezra asked.

"For just being here, for being by my side through everything and for just being an amazing person." Aria said, leaning up on her tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss.

Ezra smiled back at her. "You do know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, right?"

Aria stared into his eyes for a moment and nodded, a smile gracing her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Ezra replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a sequel to this story too if any of you are interested. It can be found here:  
> https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10619427/1/She-s-Mine


End file.
